The Burdened
by Reaper65
Summary: Grau Schatten, Rot Blitz, Ebony Veil, Nila Feur. Mars Auburn, Arian Ardolph, Raaka Isolde, Schwarz Umbra. Eight different souls with eight different histories, all burdened with the hope of being able to change the world. Their fates unknown, they set off on a journey to actualize this hope. It all begins at Beacon, where they will make new friends and enemies.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: _Welcome to my RWBY fanfiction, _The Burdened_. This fanifc will predominantly follow two teams of Original Characters (OCs) but will take place in the same setting as much of the RWBY story. So expect at least minor interactions between canon characters and my OCs somewhere along the line. That being said the plot line I've been developing for these characters will not alter the main plot of RWBY in any fashion. Due to the long term plot being a work in progress and the fact that the RWBY universe as a whole is relatively unrevealed and seemingly undeveloped, it is safe to assume that eventually this fanfic can be considered Alternate Universe should information be revealed that conflicts with anything written within here. Additionally I'll be attempting to keep this story going about a season behind. As in I will be writing Volume 1 while Volume 2 of RWBY is premiering and after, Volume 2 during Volume 3 of RWBY (or at least after Volume 2 of RWBY). This is so that whatever plot line the series takes doesn't throw off my plans for this fanfic. And finally: Mandatory Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. I merely created some characters and a story to fit in the amazing universe of it.

Enjoy

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Volume 1, Chapter 1: _Welcome to Vale_

_"__The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step"  
_~Lao Tzu

Vale certainly had its charm as a city. Rot Blitz had been to all the major cities in the kingdoms, but there was simply something with the atmosphere of Vale that made him feel slightly happier than usual. Although that wasn't saying much. Rot rolled his eyes to break himself from following that line of thought again. For the umpteenth time this day. He felt his red eyes drift towards a nearby window, wherein he saw his reflection. The dark red armor he wore barely reflected its color. The black stripes running along his arms and crossing in his back barely distinguished themselves from the rest of the armor. His hair was only a slightly lighter red than his armor. He continued walking along the street in an attempt to distance himself from his thoughts and reflections. A few of the local citizenry cast wary glances at Rot as he walked through. Perhaps it was the scar that ran across his left eye that caused them to take note, or perhaps it was Judgment, his revolver based gunblade whose sheath was nearly clanking against his light leg armor with each measured step he took. More likely than not it was Apocalypse_;_ the gauntlet type weapon that covered his left forearm and parts of his hand and elbow. Rot shrugged the looks off.

Despite those who seemed to be expecting him to harm them at any moment, things still felt relaxing. This could be related to the fact that before he had arrived here he had been journeying through Grimm infested jungles. Leaving a hostile environment and arriving at a safe kingdom with walls created quite a contrast. Chalking it up to the lack of visible enemies; Rot continued along his seemingly random path. He was eighteen years old, just a few months shy of nineteen. Most his age were already attending a school for hunters and huntresses, some at a place called Beacon, others in different parts of the world. He would have been a second year had he started on time. Which would have required him to have attended a normal training system until he was seventeen. He hadn't been able to enjoy that luxury. His early years had been taken from him and, by the time he had reclaimed his life and freedom, all he could do was teach himself how to excel through experience. The ones who took his freedom taught him the concepts of fighting but were not able to truly impart upon him the knowledge that three years of wandering the world and facing a variety of enemies had given him. He had made several friends during his journeys and many enemies. It had also provided him a 'reputation' of sorts. Many did not know his name, but those who did understood he was a foe to not be underestimated. But it was not his foes that he was here to visit, rather a friend.

Inhaling the pleasant night's air, Rot watched a man in a white suit and bowler cap walk down a nearby street, flanked on either side by men in black suits. He turned his attention back to his destination and continued walking. It was only a short journey until he reached the docks. His friend had always been more attached to his ship than anything else. It was his life as he both lived in it and performed questionable actions from it. Even from where he was standing, Rot could see the relatively impressive "fishing" boat with the word _Haven_ painted proudly on the bow. The young man's attention was drawn by the sound of raised voices coming from just outside of the _Haven's _boarding ramp.

Just outside of the boarding ramp for the _Haven_ several figures stood in a semi-circular fashion around another one. The center figure wore a light brown trenchcoat over some slightly visible body armor; the rest of which was covered by dark cargo pants. His gloved hands were held in a placating gesture while his deeply tanned face held an innocent look. Rot rolled his eyes and began walking towards Bruno Kapila. The men standing around him wielded a variety of guns and blades that matched their black suits with red ties, much like the ones who had been around the man in the white suit. Bruno's voice carried over the distance.

"Now if we all calm down, I'm sure we can reach an agreement that's beneficial to everyone here."

"Not a chance Kapila." One of the thugs ground out, "We gave you an extension, the boss wants a refund for his cargo. Now."

Bruno rolled his brown eyes. "Look fellas, I'd love to help you out and pay Junior back, but to do that I need a certain someone else I know to pay me back first. So why don't we just all relax for a moment."

"No." The lead thug replied. "You pay us now, or we take you to the boss. Your choice."

By the point the leader had said that, Rot had finally reached the outermost point of the group of thugs. Taking a moment to clear his throat, he spoke over the crowd. "My dear friend Bruno, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Oh you know the usual." Bruno began with an obvious relief written on his face, "Smuggling deal went south, client sent his goons to intimidate me, you know. Fun times."

"Stay out of this kid." The leader growled menacingly, "This is between us and Kapila."

As he began to gesture towards Bruno, the smuggler made his move. He withdrew a mace-like weapon from within his coat and swung it into the leader's chest. The suited goon flew into one of his own. The other thugs responded near instantly. Two of them moved for Bruno together, swinging their blades at him in tandem. The smuggler deflected one sword blow with his mace while he kicked the other goon in a sensitive spot. Spinning his weapon, he blasted the undamaged goon with the shotgun embedded within the mace. Rot began his attack in the seconds this occurred during. Grasping one thug by the throat, he hurled him off the peer. Three thugs turned towards him, one armed with a gun, the others with blades. The first swung a vicious blade at him that bounced off of the armored plate of Apocalypse. While the blade bounced back and the thugs arms were no longer protecting his center of mass, Rot pressed the advantage. His first pair of blows hit the henchman's solar plexus, shortening his breath. The next two hit his throat which was followed by an uppercut that knocked the thug into his gun wielding buddy. Rounds flew overhead as the thug lost his aim. Rot waited for the miliseconds it took the third thug to attack. As the thug's blade flew towards Rot, his hands grasped the man's arms. Wrenching the blow aside, he shoved into the thug. As his opponent lost his balance, Rot swung his leg under the man. A kick to the head ensured unconsciousness.

Rot glanced up at the gun wielder. Tearing Judgment from its sheathe, he severed the goon's gun in half with the broadsword blade. Smirking at the thug he leveled the barrel of the revolver segment of Judgment at him. "Is this seriously the best you guys can do? I'm almost insulted."

As two more thugs charged Rot with their own blades, Bruno found himself dodging gunshots. Grabbing a dazed thug and throwing him into a pair of his buddies, Bruno turned towards his current sword wielding opponent. The man swung a flurry of vicious, disorderly blows. Bruno easily deflected those before swinging his mace at the henchman. As the suited thug leapt back, Bruno pulled the trigger, blasting him away. A fist slammed into Bruno's face, causing him to fall to the peer's deck. He noticed one of his nearby bottles lying next to his ramp way. Grasping it, he sprang back to his feet and slammed the bottle into the thugs face. The wounded thug was dispatched with a swing of Trouble. He gazed at the last five thugs before turning towards Rot. "Rot my comrade, would you like to do this with a bit of flashiness?"

"With pleasure," Rot smirked as he activated Apocalypse's main function. The gauntlet was embedded deep into Rot's nervous system, which allowed him to control it with his mind. Its primary function was to channel Rot's semblance into an attack. As best Rot could understand his ability, it enhanced the dust fed into him through Apocalypse with his own blood and then fired it from his left palm. He was also acutely aware that the 'surgeries' that had given him Apocalypse had damaged his bone marrow, decreasing the rate at which it produced blood. If he was too reckless with using his self-named blood power, he could pass out from blood loss. Fortunately five throw away thugs required minimum power. The palm of his hand gave off a crimson glow before red lightning sprung from his hand, slamming into the henchmen. They were sent flying across the dock with some slamming into a nearby boathouse. As they slid to the ground Bruno gave a laugh.

"And that's Rot Blitz for you fine gentlemen. Don't you forget it." Bruno gave a hearty grin.

One of the henchmen started moving only to be brought to a halt by Rot's armored boot. Lowering his left arm, he allowed the blade to slide out from the underside of Apocalypse and rest in the air just short of the thug's throat, "Any questions for him?"

Bruno shook his head. "No. I already know who hired them to get me. Let them get up." He raised his voice as the incapacitated thugs began to recover. "And tell your boss to stay the hell away from me if he wants his money. Now Rot, let's get onboard _Haven_."

Rot followed Bruno up the boarding ramp. Once onboard the two pulled the ramp away from the dock. "Let's hope they don't just cut the tethers while we're out here and strand us."

Bruno shrugged and retorted with some half-hearted sarcasm. "Then we can panic about how scared we are to be drifting at sea in a heavily armored, armed, and supplied ship. Waiting for a pirate or Grimm attack. Man, you remember that pirate attack that one time I was transporting you to… wherever it was?"

"Yeah I recall that." Rot smirked as he began loading new rounds into the chambers of Judgment's cylinder. "They thought they had us because of numbers. 'Lay down your weapons and we'll kill you quickly'. And then we tore through them with such ease."

"Us and that one girl. Cute one, what was her name again?" Bruno questioned.

"What, you mean Lilith?" Rot bit the name out.

"Don't say you didn't have a thing for her." Bruno retorted as he snapped Trouble in half and loaded shotgun shells into it.

Rot made a soft growl in his throat as he glanced at the dust levels in Apocalypse, "Let's just say we had a difference of opinions in terms of what partnership meant."

"She cheat you out of something?" Bruno raised a brow, "I thought she was innocent."

A curt laugh escaped Rot. "As innocent as you are in terms of smuggling."

Bruno raised his hands. "Hey, I'm merely a provider of unique goods and transporter for special clients. An honest business man and law abiding citizen, I swear."

"Honest eh? Hence the reason someone sent some thugs after you, right? Can't believe he paid for that low level quality of a fighter."

"Well they don't expect a smuggler to fight back, let alone have a warrior at his side." Bruno scratched his chin. "Speaking of which. I know you didn't travel all the way to Vale to visit an old friend. Just passing through or something?"

"Actually staying here for a few months this year. A few more the next before a short three month journey. Then back here to do it all over again." Rot gained a very slight grin that seemed to accent the scar crossing his left eye. "I've been offered acceptance into Beacon."

Bruno's brown eyes widened. "Hold on a second. I thought only seventeen years old could go from one of the lower level schools to Beacon, not some vagabond vigilante."

"I appreciate the vigilante compliment. And regardless of their formal training, I'm pretty sure I'm at least a match for the majority of students who will be attending Beacon." Rot countered. "Let's just say the headmaster was sufficiently pleased with a performance of mine that he happened to see to offer me this chance."

"That's great news then." Bruno gave a hearty grin. "I'm glad for you. When does it start?"

"Tomorrow." Rot replied. He paused for a moment before continuing on. "But I need a favor."

"Hold on a second. I know I offered you a favor for helping me protect my ship, but it can't interfere with my own… Operations."

Rot held up his hand. "It won't. All I need is a place to stay after this semester. Two weeks is a short time, not long enough for me to travel too far, but too long to pay for a place to stay with my impoverished funds."

Bruno stared at him thoughtfully. "Although you're not as impoverished as you make yourself out to be, I'll board you. Provided you help me with whatever I need help with."

"Naturally. I already know what you do."

"I suppose you do." Bruno held out his hand. "By the way kid, welcome to Vale."

Rot took it with a grin. "Thanks. I was becoming worried that its hospitality had been worn out."

"Oh no. It's all still here, so long as you know where to look." Bruno opened his fridge and began rummaging through it. "Now let me get you something so we can celebrate your arrival."

* * *

Amidst the citizenry of Vale, a figure in dark gray clothing treaded silently through the crowds. Grau Schatten was a seventeen year old huntsman in training preparing for his arrival at Beacon. Any who wondered what his purpose in Vale was would only need to glance at the twin Katana based weapons in their sheathes to wager a guess. Most people parted around him, gazing at his hooded figure warily. Hoods deterred people; caused them to be suspicious. Had they looked underneath the hood, they would have assumed they were staring at the face of a man in his late forties. The disorder that Grau had suffered since birth caused him to look far older than he truly was. The dark grey color that his hair had become spoke testament to this. An alleyway caught Grau's attention which he quickly accepted as an alternate to the crowded street. It was not that he had a problem with people; rather that his semblance made it difficult to deal with many of them. Every motion made a vibration, whether it traveled through the air or the ground. Grau's 'ability' allowed him to sense all of these vibrations. The crowded street had nearly given him a migraine. But he didn't reduce his semblance's influence as he desired to maintain easy situational awareness.

Exhaling slightly, he continued walking down the street. A sudden vibration wove its way to him, informing him that not too far from his position there had been an explosion. The sound reached his ears very shortly afterwards. As he gazed towards the brilliant light flare from the explosion, a subtler vibration caught his attention. He turned his hooded head towards the source carefully so as to not arise suspicion. A young woman slightly taller than him was the cause of the vibrations he had sensed. Dark blue armor with black stripes covered most of her body, reflecting an inverse of her predominantly black hair with blue stripes. A large longsword was slung on her back. Grau could see the twin barrels in the center of the blades, but little else. Her vibrant blue eyes continued to stare at the fading explosion before snapping back towards him. The distant vibrations of a battle began to reach him. "So do you think we should check it out?" The stranger asked.

Grau arched a brow, "I'm pretty sure I've never met you before. So you'll forgive me if I don't quite feel the urge to charge towards an explosion with you."

"Of course." She flashed a grin, "It'd do no good for me not to introduce myself. Nila Feur, huntress in training. And I can tell you're much the same from your twin katana on your hip and the hood you're wearing to try and look cool."

"Grau Schatten." Grau offered his hand. As Nila shook it he tagged on a second comment, "And the hood's not to make me look cool."

"Whatever you say," Nila looked back towards where the explosion had occurred. There were now flashes of battle evident even at this distance. "I still want to know if you think we should check it out."

Grau paused for a moment to feel the vibrations, then shook his head, "No, the battle is ending even now. I can feel the vibrations in the air."

"Oh. Cool Semblance." Nila nodded then hesitated with a slightly comedic expression. "That is your semblance right?"

"Yes." Grau sighed in minute exasperation.

"So you'll be going to Beacon I'm guessing. Seeing as you never denied being a huntsman in training."

"Once again, yes."

"Well I hope to see you there. I need to get back to my dad before he worries. Catch you later." With a second quick grin, Nila was off. Grau remained where he was and felt the vibrations fade away. Then he looked back to where the battle had occurred. An airship had been involved with it, causing him to briefly wonder what kind of battle had just occurred. Shrugging off the paranoid like suspicions of what was occurring; he continued walking to the hotel that he'd be sojourning in for the night.

* * *

Ebony Veil stood still, taking in the warm night air. She stood on a landing platform of a mountain top research facility, feeling the cool breeze run along her plain black clothes. The only way any would have identified her as an aspiring huntress would have been the twin Chakram on her hips and the metal covering on her hands. As she remained still, she could feel her father's presence just behind her. Glancing back she looked at the aged frame of a man who looked like he's born the weight of the world. Black and gray hair was slicked back. She had been told that back during his prime it was the same deep black that hers was. His suit conflicted with her incredibly simple clothes. Although she was near six feet tall, he had surpassed that height long ago and rested at six three. His gray eyes met her brown ones. "Are you sure you are prepared for this?"

She nodded. "It's what I've spent all this time training for. You helped me develop most of those regiments yourself."

"I pushed you so far in order to ensure you could protect yourself. If you're not sure you want to go through with this, I can understand." Itzal Veil responded softly.

"I know. But what use is the training you've given me if I don't use it to protect others. Or at least get out of this facility." Ebony returned as she gazed out over the forest.

Itzal smiled softly, "You remind me so much of your mother. Always trying to save people."

"Well it is the family business isn't it? You just like to do it with medicine and healing." Ebony countered. Although others might have said it playfully, it was said in the most serious of senses here.

"I suppose it is. Just be careful, after your mother and sister. I couldn't bear to lose you as well." Itzal placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I will father. You've done a lot to prepare me." Ebony gave a slight smile and walked off towards the waiting airship that would take her to Beacon. Itzal had always preferred to do his research in isolated areas of the world, despite its great risks. It provided a certain ability to remain anonymous and isolated. As such he had several personal airships. While the sleek ship took off, Itzal drifted alone into his thoughts.

"Goodbye Ebony." He muttered silently. As thoughts continued to course through his mind, his smile faded somewhat. "At least there's one person left who doesn't think I'm a villain."

A man came up behind him, "Should we be concerned? If she encounters him, everything is in jeopardy."

"She most likely won't. Even if she does, I think you overestimate how much of a risk he poses. Outside influence would be necessary to create a problem. Though there are plans set up for such an eventuality." Itzal muttered, he then turned and gazed at the emblem gracing the assistant's coat and the wall nearby. A rod, with a serpent entwined upon it, embedded into a wheel was the emblem. "Now, let us go."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N here's chapter 2 of the Burdened. I don't promise a consistent upload schedule, as this is a side project for fun. That being said, I will try to keep chapters at a minimum of within 3,700 words. No promises. As usual, I do not own RWBY or the plot lines therefrom. I only own the ideas I've created.  
**

**Please enjoy and Review if you so desire.**

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Volume 1, Chapter 2: _Starting Things Up_

_"Now did you read the news today, they say the danger's gone away. But I can see the fire's still alight."_

_~"Land of Confusion" by Genesis_

Airships, it always had to be airships. Grau never did enjoy flying; he much preferred to stay on the ground. Whether it was the engines' vibrations or the heights, he never cared to figure out. Perhaps it had something to do with his small village located in a distant mountain and as such air vessels were not a common means of transportation for him. But he supposed it was easier than walking the potentially difficult and dangerous trek to Beacon. Even so, the overwhelming vibrations from the people and the engines threatened to give him quite the headache. Fortunately, it was only a threat not a promise. As he stood with his eyes closed, he felt the vibrations of two people hugging each other followed by a female voice telling the other how proud she was. Grau turned to look out the viewport at the beautiful view as they continued ascending towards Beacon. He became aware of the presence of someone next to him and glanced to his right. A man in dark red armor with a scar across his left eye stood observing the view as well. His crimson eyes spoke of regret. The massive gauntlet on his left arm also caught Grau's attention. The man glanced over at Grau, causing a brief burst of concern.

"I thought hoods were for wearing outdoors." The armored person remarked with a tone of playfulness.

Grau grimaced slightly, "Everyone seems to keep commenting on it."

"Well I just felt like making some small talk. And a hooded figure staring sketchily out the window seemed to be far more interesting than a scrawny one barely holding on to his lunch because of the view." The speaker gestured not-so-subtly towards a blonde haired figure in partial armor who seemed particularly green. "Name's Rot Blitz by the way."

"Grau Schatten." Grau offered his hand more out of habit than anything. "Are you making the rounds to everyone, or are you truly here because of the hood?"

"Well you know what they say about hooded men," Rot took Grau's hand in a firm grip, one that spoke of repressed anger. "But in all honesty I'm just trying to keep a conversation going to cover up his gagging."

Grau shook his head in bemusement. "Well that's a way to do it."

"It was a tough call, whether to spend time getting to know people or listen to that lovely noise." Rot's voice was coated with enough sarcasm to make Grau smirk. A sudden shout of "Gross" was heard. Rot and Grau looked over to see the two sisters who had been hugging each other were freaking out about some potential vomit. "Besides, also lets me poll the other people and ask if they knew anything about the whole team assignment thing."

"Wish I could tell you something." Grau replied apologetically, "But my village is a little isolated."

"As in not part of Vale? That's unusual." Rot raised a brow.

"And dangerous." Grau confirmed solemnly. "It's why practically all the people of my village are huntsmen or have received some level of training. We're listed as part of Vale, but we're far enough away to need to protect ourselves."

"Explains why you're here. Looking forward to it? The fighting and all?"

Grau brought his gaze slowly back to the viewports as some thoughts crossed his mind. "I suppose. I'd ask your motivation, but I know some people like to keep their past separate from others."

A new expression crossed Rot's face. "Gray, I mean Grau, I think we're going to get along very well you and I."

"If you can remember my name." Grau added in as he rolled his eyes.

"Ah that comes with time." Rot dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. The airship shook as it reached its destination. The two Huntsmen-in-Training looked over as the doors opened. Rot's eyes gained a visible gleam of excitement. "Let the games begin."

Grau watched the red armored man advance before he followed. As he did, he contemplated once more the lack of knowledge he had in the design of team making. He knew it was going to bother him until he had the answers. That understanding of his own mind also refused to allow his mind to be at ease. Dozens of students rushed from the airships to inspect their new home. The blonde boy charged the trash can. Grau took in the beautiful view for several moments. It was a place like none other they said and what Grau was seeing did not prove them wrong. Then the vibrations started to get to him again. Ignoring it as best he could, he continued walking forward. Rot could be heard verbally whistling from where he stood. "Impressed?"

"I'll tell you what Grau, I've been around a lot of the world. But this view is something special in its own right." Rot looked around at the crowd of people. "Now if you'll excuse me. I have a bunch of people to pretend I care about."

Grau stood still a moment, contemplating whether to respond to the departing man. Rot certainly seemed like he was either going to end up being friends or enemies with a lot of people, and not much in between. It might do good to follow someone like that and get an understanding of other students through observation. His contemplation was interrupted when a sturdy figure in a black cloak strode directly to him. Short hair barely protruded from the pale scalp. The unnaturally dark black eyes matched the black cloak in contrast with the ghost like skin. It was all these familiar details that made Grau recognize his taller friend. The scar across his cheek was new though. "Schwarz. What are you doing here?"

Schwarz Umbra had been born in his village and was around the same age as him, but Grau had not been expecting to see him here for many reasons. A very small smile that didn't quite reach anything appeared on Schwarz's face at Grau's surprise. Born a mute, Schwarz's only efficient non-written means of communication was a sort of sign language his village had taught. As such everything he said was spoken with his hands, rather than his mouth. _'I've come to be a huntsman Grau. What else?'_

"You disappeared four years ago," Grau countered. It was always a silent blessing that it was only Schwarz's speech that had been taken; otherwise Grau would have needed to take the time to remember to 'speak' in the sign language. "I thought you left for some other life style."

_'No. I went to a different training school than you did, one a ways away. One that was willing to overlook and work with my… "Problems". They saw me for what I could be, a warrior. Professor Ozpin seems to be willing to do much the same.' _Schwarz signed, his eyes remaining the same dull color they had been before.

"Schwarz." Grau hesitated briefly, weighing his words, "I respect your desire to protect our village, but are you sure this is the way to do it?"

_'Yes. I am. You told me once that any obstacle could be overcome. And I fully intend to overcome this one,'_ As he gestured, his hand hit the curved handle of his weapon. Although most of it was covered by the dark cloak, Grau could tell it was massive. _'Besides, I'm not alone.'_

As he said this a mildly tall woman walked up behind Schwarz. Her armor reminded him of Rot's, only it was a soft white instead of a deep red. Her elbow pads had crystal spikes jutting out of them that contained dust crystal slivers. She was attractive enough, however there was something about her that gave Grau a shiver. His first thought was that it was a physical feature, such as the pale blonde hair that reached slightly past her shoulders or her icy eyes, but he realized slowly that the temperature around this potential huntress was actually colder than the air around him. Even without feeling the difference, he could sense the easy to miss vibration. The air was moving slower around her. She nodded to Schwarz before her chilling gaze leveled on Grau. "Schwarz. Who's this?"

_'An old friend. Grau Schatten, meet Raaka Isolde.'_ Schwarz signed. _'Her and I both attended the same school for a couple of years_._'_

Grau extended his hand out of reflex for the second time today. "Pleasure to meet you."

Raaka gazed at his hand with disdain before resigning herself to shake it. True to Grau's assumption, the armor was far colder than he would have expected it to be and sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. "Don't bother with the formalities."

_'Look Grau, between myself and Raaka here, you don't have to worry about me. I'm not some little child that needs protection because of a disability. I never have been and I never will be.'_

Grau exhaled in exasperation as he absent-mindedly rubbed his now cold hand against his clothing. "I know Schwarz. Old habits die hard I suppose. But there's no guarantee you'll end up as partners, which means you might have to work with people who don't know how to communicate with you."

_'Maybe. But you're not going to dissuade me. I need to do this.'_ As Schwarz signed this, his left sleeve fell back, revealing a tattoo on his arm. A scythe and a rose crossed each other, forming four of the eight spindles of a wheel. Grau's eyes narrowed slightly at Schwarz's "need" to do this and the tattoo. He could have sworn he'd seen that somewhere before. _'I'm only telling you this out of respect of you having been my friend so you weren't surprised when you see me tearing through the Grimm.'_

Grau chewed the inside of his lip as he gave a slight smirk. "Well you better stay safe if you don't want me watching your back."

_'I'll be fine.' _Schwarz signed back before beginning to walk away, _'Best of luck Grau.'_

Raaka suddenly stepped in front of Grau. "Let me make something clear. I don't like people. But Schwarz is one of the few I don't hate. So long as he's near me. Nothing will harm him or hamper his progress at achieving his goals. Nothing."

The cold armored figure turned away and strode off. Grau stood there watching the departing figure. Schwarz being here was not an issue per se, but it definitely caused him a mild bout of concern. The conversation they had just engaged in had been far more tense than usual. Schwarz used to open up far more to Grau, but now he seemed distant. Focused on something else. Wherever Schwarz had gone to for the past four years had done something to his friend to harden him. Grau wasn't sure what and he wasn't sure he wanted to. But even Schwarz's distant expression seemed to have held more life than Raaka's. Her eyes seemed dead to the world, as cold as the ice like armor she wore.

Shrugging his simple bag over his shoulder, he continued walking down the pathways towards what he assumed was the main auditorium. Running a gloved hand over the stubble of black-gray facial hair that had grown since the previous night, Grau pondered his current situation anew. With so many unknowns, he was going to have to be prepared for nearly anything. His teammates could be as cold as the two he just met or as eccentric as Rot had seemed to be. Only time would truly tell. A variety of students seemed to be flowing into the same room as him. Giving a grimace at the amount of vibrations coming from within, Grau faced the storm and took the first steps to the rest of the journey.

* * *

Rot slowly paced down the pathways of Beacon's campus. It was still impressive, but also very… tame. Years of fighting in a bunch of different areas had made him used to the wilderness, the chaos. The adrenaline was a beautiful thing that came with it. That fight last night had been easy, not even worth comparing to some of his better ones. Even the pack of Beowolves he had fought off on the way to Vale had been more of a challenge. He idly triggered the blade on the underside of Apocalypse and gazed at it. The silver blade shined in the sun. Allowing it to retract, he continued onwards. Grau had been an interesting person to meet, though he doubted he'd ever run into him again for any length of time. The guy gave off some serious introvert vibes and would most likely remain confined to his team. Though it was also quite possible Grau would interact with more people than Rot. He shrugged. You never knew what people would do.

He thought he'd heard about gathering in the main auditorium or something akin thereto. Based on the fact that the amount of students roaming the paths was decreasing gave him the ever so slight feeling that he'd heard right. It was more likely than not that he still had time to walk a bit farther before figuring out where all those people had gone. He felt like he should attempt to get there within a timely manner, but it was improbable that anyone would truly notice if he was late. The sound of metal hitting the ground caused him to look over and see a girl in red holding a massive scythe-like weapon. It was essentially the same size as her. Rot shook his head in bemusement at that fact. She seemed so young to be here, even compared to the blonde boy next to her, who Rot instantly recognized as the one getting sick on the airship. His view left the two and returned to the fountain. As he stared at the statue of the hunters triumphing over the Grimm, a woman's scream echoed in his mind. It was a remnant of years ago. He could never remember what happened exactly, but he always assumed it was from that eve when he had been taken from his family. Giving a slight sigh and shaking his head to clear it of the memories, he began walking towards what he assumed the auditorium was.

The blonde boy and girl in red were ahead of him by a little distance, talking about something or the other. Upon entering the auditorium, the girl in red left the boy. As Rot watched the boy's melodramatic head hanging with bemusement, a movement behind him caught his eye. A red-haired huntress-in-training in bronze colored armor that covered portions of her body had been the source of motion. The sight of her caused Rot's breathe to catch momentarily and his heart to accelerate in excitement.

"She's beautiful is she not?" A voice questioned from behind him. Rot casually turned his head and found him staring at a tank of a man. Crimson armor covered the obviously well-built body, with a sword sheathed on his side and a massive shield clamped to his back. Red-brown eyes stared past Rot at the huntress, his hair was nearly black and almost reached his ears. "A warrior in training."

Rot glanced back at the subject of the conversation, "Then you know who she is as well. I can't say I'm surprised, it's not like she's famous."

A chuckle escaped the built warrior, "Indeed. Pyrrha Nikos, renowned for her skill in battle, top of her class from her academy, legend amongst us, and face of a terribly stale brand of cereal for a set amount of time. What I would give to cross blades with her, it would be a duel to remember."

"You're not the only one who would thoroughly enjoy that opportunity." Rot retorted with a slight hint of playfulness in his serious tone, "She's obviously had some of the best training."

"Though training isn't everything. Especially not for people like us," The warrior responded calmly.

Rot turned back towards the man he was speaking with. His eyes narrowed slightly, "What do you mean people like us."

"I know who you are Rot Blitz." The reply came at a calm even pace. "You leave a reputation in the right places for those of us who aren't trained in traditional senses to know about you. You and I are very similar in that way. Experience, fighting for our very existence, trying to save others; these are all the things that make us different than the majority of these students here. Many have been raised within the safety of the cities, protected by the huntsmen and huntresses. But we have been forced to fight for our survival against Grimm and for our freedom against others. You can always see the ones who are like us. We have eyes that are wearier, more guarded. We don't trust as easily or quickly. We know this world is no fairy tale, there's no simple happy ending. We know that even those with the best intentions can fall from the path of righteousness."

Rot remained still, his mind processing what had just been said. When he spoke, there was no hint of the usual playfulness he attempted to coat his voice with, "And just who the hell are you that you think you know so much about me?"

The man he was speaking with, for he spoke with the tone and authority of such, gave him a slight smile. "I am Mars Auburn. A child of the war between us and the Grimm. The war that many want to deny being a true war, but that you and I both know is as active and brutal of a war now as it has ever been before. I know you learned that from your time exploring."

Rot was cut off by another voice before he could press Mars for another answer. "I'll...keep this brief." The voice of Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon, carried across the room. Rot glanced back only to find Mars staring at the headmaster with a certain level of intensity, "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Rot blinked, his mind dwelling on what had just been said. When he turned towards Mars, he found the armored warrior already departing towards a distant door. He rubbed his chin with his gloved hand. There was something about Mars that made him intensely suspicious of the man. Despite his misgivings, he found himself agreeing slightly with the man's speech on the state of the conflict with the Grimm. Ozpin on the other hand had seemed distant and unfocused with what he had said. Something wasn't adding up. Mars knew more than just someone who had happened to pass through an area where Rot had been before would know. The thoughts and suspicions would continue to flitter through his mind even as he and the other first year students were escorted to a sleeping area and told to rest for the first day. Rot's sleep was not a steady one.

* * *

Bruno leaned back in his chair and stared at the calendar. In a few hours he'd be untethering the _Haven_ and making another semi-legal run to another kingdom. Vale custom officials thought it was a prolonged fishing trip. They were unsurprisingly gullible. Especially when money was included. He rubbed his slowly growing goatee as he pondered how long this trip was going to take him. The thugs who had appeared last night had almost interrupted his operation. It had truly been a blessing when Rot had shown up and helped him clear them out. That Junior was still pissed about him having to ditch the case of rare alcohol wasn't too surprising. But he had been hoping that eventually good sense would have won out. He shrugged. Maybe after this operation he'd actually pay the poor guy his money back. He was about to close his eyes when he heard heels clicking on the metal outside of his office.

Snatching Trouble off of the table, Bruno casually aimed the barrel at the door. "Who's on my ship at the middle of the night? Can't you tell I'm trying to sleep?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just still trying to figure out why your ship has the same name a city." A soft voice came before the figure rounded the corner. Bruno instantly recognized the beauty that was Lilith Violetta. Her deep violet hair and soft grey eyes seemed alluring. The thin revealing clothes and shape of her body didn't disagree. But Bruno also remembered what Rot had said.

"Lilith." He spoke in a tone of, what he hoped was, false pleasure, while also leaving Trouble aimed in her direction. "Funny that Rot didn't mention you being in town."

"Oh Rot doesn't know. And I'd like it to remain that way." Lilith purred. The twin gunblades could be seen strapped to her back, their curved handles near Lilith's head. "In fact I've only come here for you."

"Is that so?" Bruno questioned slowly. "Well I have to tell you, I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks starting tomorrow. Lengthy fishing trip and all that."

"No you won't." Lilith cut him off, her voice gaining some steel to it. "I like you Bruno. But I need you. So you won't be going on that smuggling operation. Or else I'll tip off the custom officials."

"Won't work. They'll never know where to look." Bruno countered, all the while becoming slightly more nervous. It was an irrational paranoia, he'd been doing these stunts for a long while now.

"Oh I know with your semblance you could hold that cargo underwater for ages." Lilith admitted. Then she gestured and a box of illegal goods appeared on the floor next to her. "But they only need to _see_ the boxes to impound you for a long while. And we both know what my semblance does to people's sight. So please Bruno, let's do this like friends and not like enemies."

Bruno turned back to her with narrowed eyes, his finger close to the trigger of Trouble. "And what's to keep me from blasting you away. I may like you, but I need to protect myself somehow."

A smile appeared on her face before Lilith suddenly disappeared into a wisp of shadows. Bruno cursed the illusion and started to react, but was cut off when the bladed edge of one of her gunblades suddenly emerged from shadows at his throat. "Clever little girl aren't we?" Bruno hissed.

"Perhaps." Lilith spoke softly into Bruno's ear. "Now, dear Bruno, do we do this like friends? Or like enemies?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Alright, this chapter is slightly longer than the past two. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Volume 1: Chapter 3: _Into the Forest. _

A distant voice shouting to someone else to wake up perturbed the calm veil of sleep. The same voice continued to announce in a sing song voice that it was morning, an annoyingly obvious fact that Arian Ardolph was beginning to become very aware of by the light on his once peacefully closed eyes. He sat up slowly, glancing around. The victim of the overly energetic voice seemed to be far calmer than Arian would have assumed, but then he didn't know the person. Shrugging slightly, he stood up and walked over to a mirror to help prepare himself for the day. The first things he began to do was slide on his golden armor. It was a slightly lighter shade of gold than his eyes, something that would occasionally bother him. But it wasn't worth changing the armor for. His gold like hair nearly matched the tawny colored wolf ears that emerged from amongst it.

Being a Faunus had always been a bit of a mixed gift and curse. People judged him because of it at times, but it was never anything worth being upset over. Well normally it wasn't. He still refused to fight humanoids no matter how annoyingly judgmental they could be towards him for being a Faunus. He continued mulling this over as he attached his twin weapons to his armor. To the casual observer the two weapons would appear to be little more than large metal gauntlets attached onto his armor. Triggering one of the Lupa's, his right weapon, modes, he inspected the two white blades that emerged from it. His other weapon was known as Fenrir. As he allowed the blade to retract, he began walking towards the lockers and breakfast. The meal itself was a bit of a blur as he tried to keep his stomach calm. He was never the biggest fan of change and now he was about to begin whatever process it was that Beacon used to prepare students for fighting Grimm. He placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands as he prepared himself for what was to come.

"You shouldn't be afraid." A voice came from his left. Arian glanced over to find a large human in crimson armor. "You won't be alone."

"I'm not afraid." Arian countered with a slight shake of his head. "I'm simply preparing myself for the killing I'll have to do, whether today or tomorrow, or after that."

"You do not enjoy it?" The man questioned with a raised brow.

"No. I have no qualms killing Grimm. I just like to focus myself." Arian countered. "But let's not worry about that yet. I'm Arian Ardolph. You are?"

"Mars Auburn." The crimson warrior took his hand, "It is always a pleasure to meet a fellow warrior."

"I don't see myself as a warrior Mars." Arian looked at the red-brown eyes of the man sitting beside him. "Merely as a guardian."

Mars nodded in approval. "I can respect your views. After all we are all here for the same purpose, defending humanoids from the Grimm."

"What did you just say?" Arian interjected abruptly. It was a stupid thing for him to pick up on, but it was so uncommon a term, "You used the word humanoids. Why?"

"Because our duty is to protect the greatest amount of humanoids possible, human or Faunus. To build the safest tomorrow for those who cannot truly defend themselves. And to stop as many Grimm from ever harming our friends and families again. I assumed you were here for the same reason."

Arian gazed at Mars in surprise. Not many people used the term humanoids. Many just used the word humans or, in the White Fang's efforts to justify itself, Faunus. Rarely was it inclusive of both. "I am. And I'm glad to see you don't have any discrimination in your voice."

Mars shrugged, "Faunus, humans, they are all part of the same species group. I assume at least. Even if they are not, they are all equally skilled warriors. To judge one because of their differences from the majority is to shun the diversity that gives us an advantage over the Grimm. It is to shun those very people we swore to defend. Discrimination gains nothing but discontent and infighting."

Arian continued to stare at him. Then he nodded slightly, "Well Mars. I hope to see you again in this school after today."

Mars gave him a slight smile, "I get the feeling you will. Now if you'll excuse me, I must prepare my weapons."

Arian waited until Mars left to turn back to his unfinished food. He thoughtfully scratched his chin. Mars definitely seemed to be an interesting person, one who may hold similar views to Arian. Unless he was lying, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered. Arian dismissed the naysayer and stood up. Walking towards the lockers now, he continued to ensure his armor was ready. He had no way of being certain what was to come next, but he was prepared for it. Most students had their weapons in their lockers, but Arian had forgotten to put his in their as it had still been attached to his armor. As such he was now waiting restlessly for the next objective. He glanced to his right and saw a girl in frost colored armor with ice-like crystals leaning against a nearby locker, her cold eyes defocused.

"Did you keep your weapons on you as well then?" Arian asked casually. The sudden glare he received from her made him think he'd somehow insulted her. Then the expression returned to a distant cold. "I was just curious."

"I don't need weapons." The girl replied icily.

Arian raised a brow and debated whether or not to ask another question. The chill he felt run down his spine from the girl made him decide it would be best for him to just wait. He followed her gaze and saw a pale but sturdy man reaching into his locker. He withdrew a massive handgun looking weapon. It had three barrels that formed a triangular shape. Each barrel had a sword blade between it and the neighboring barrel that met in the center of the weapon, creating a sharp point. As he placed the weapon along his back, the man looked over and gestured something with his hands. Arian stood dumbfounded, trying to figure out what had just been done. A similar, yet slightly different gesture was performed by the man. Again Arian remained clueless of what he was gesturing about. He glanced over his shoulder to see if there was something around him or someone else the man was gesturing at. Seeing nothing caused him to return his gaze forward. A sideways look at the man revealed nothing except yet another gesture.

The girl next to him finally spoke, startling Arian. "He says, what do you want?"

"Huh?" Arian questioned. "What do you mean?"

"He's mute." The icy girl clarified in a bored and exasperated tone. "So he uses a sign language that only some people understand to 'speak' in a way. He wants to know why you were looking at him."

"I was simply admiring his weapon." Arian returned. "I didn't mean to cause some distrust."

The pale man in black gestured back to the girl. She sighed before translating, "He appreciates that you like his weapon. He also suggests we introduced ourselves so this conversation isn't all pronouns. He's Schwarz Umbra and I am Raaka Isolde."

"Arian Ardolph." The wolf Faunus replied as he held out his hand.

Raaka stared at it for a lengthy moment then looked back at him. Her arms remained folded "You probably don't want to have cold hands today, so I suggest you spare me the courtesy."

"So those are actual ice dust crystals embedded in your armor I take it." Arian said in a relatively lame tone.

"Yes." Came the simple reply. The three of them stood there in awkward silence before a voice came over the announcement system.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." Arian recognized the voice as Professor Glynda Goodwitch, the lady who'd spoken when they were on the air ship. As he began walking along, he heard a comment from a student in dark red armor.

"A cliff? What do they want us to do there, climb it?"

* * *

Rot's question was answered shortly after he asked it as he found himself, and all the other first year students, standing on a cliff. The platform he was standing on gave him the feeling that he was not going to like what was about to happen to him. He glanced to his right and saw a gold armored Wolf-Faunus. To his left was a girl in black clothing with twin Chakram adorning her hips. He let out the comment in his mind. "Well, I bet you three lien that we're going to get catapulted."

"I'd take that bet if I wasn't on the same page as you." The gold armored Faunus replied. "Name's Arian Ardolph, you?"

"Rot Blitz." Rot replied. He turned his gaze towards the girl next to him. "Hey sweetheart, you want to tell us your name before we get launched."

The girl turned towards him. "The name's Ebony Veil. Also, call me sweetheart again and I'll make sure you're flying long before they launch us."

Arian got a strange expression in response to her name, but was cut off as Rot gave a chuckle, "I think I like you."

His follow-up reply was cut off by Professor Ozpin. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Rot smirked in expectation. This would be one of those battles he relished, he could feel it in his blood. Ebony's serious expression remained unchanged. Arian's eyes gained a slight gleam as pressed his hands together. This was going to be good, Rot could sense it.

Professor Goodwitch spoke next, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."

Rot blinked, "Well that'll be abrupt. How are they going to decide who we should be paired with when they haven't even seen us fight?"

"Or you know, figured out who we get along with?" Arian rhetorically asked.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin intoned, giving Rot hope for an answer. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

A distant high pitched "what?" was followed up by Rot going, "The hell?"

Ebony rolled her eyes while Arian just stared at the headmaster like he had two heads. The silver haired gentleman continued speaking. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."

Rot grinned. The Grimm of the forest wouldn't be a challenge if experience served. Though he supposed there could be one or two dangerous creatures that rested within. Meanwhile Professor Ozpin was still giving instructions, "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we will grade you appropriately. Are there any questions? Good, now take your positions."

Rot could have sworn he'd heard someone try to ask a question, but realized it wasn't worth worrying over as he noticed the first person in line, Grau Schatten, was launched away. Ebony was launched seconds afterwards. Bracing his feet against the tile, he prepared for takeoff. He had just enough time to look over at Arian and yell "I told you so," before being catapulted towards the clouds.

As he soared through the air, he glanced back to see more and more students being launched into the sky. He then set loose deciding how he'd best survive this fall. Judgment wasn't the most useful weapon at landing, but he was sure he could figure something out. Ebony was ahead of him. He watched as her graceful figure grasped a branch with a surprisingly strong grip. She then used her momentum to launch herself into a series of flips before landing on another branch. Rot looked around before seeing a tree with a decently sized branch. Charging up Apocalypse, he unleashed a small little burst of energy. The flash of red lightning was enough to redirect him towards the branch. He slammed down onto it boots first, feeling the jolt work its way up his legs. He grimaced slightly. In theory he should have found a better landing strategy, but it got him down in time to see the others around him.

Arian, the golden wolf-Faunus, extended his twin weapons' claws. He stabbed the black claws into a nearby tree. The momentum swung him towards the trunk, but he avoided hitting it too hard by slamming his other blade claws into the trunk. He turned and saw Mars falling. Before he could see the result, the branch beneath him gave out, causing him to fall, yet again. This time to the ground. Due to his carelessness, he hit the ground at a rough angle, sending jolts of pain through his body. As he stood back up slightly groggily, he heard a twig break nearby.

He spun around, refocusing himself, with Judgment's barrel leveled at the brush. Cocking back the hammer, he waited. The forest around him was unnaturally still. He could attribute this to the animals being shocked that a human had just landed in their midst, but this kind of silence was normally caused by a predator hunting in the nearby vicinity. He waited patiently for his foe to reveal itself, as he had no doubt it was near. His blood was still rushing from the fall with the beautiful feeling of adrenaline coursing through him. An eternity seemed to pass as he waited, still, ready to strike. Then the brush parted, revealing the source of the noise. A man in simple grey clothing with twin katana based weapons sheathed along his hips. Rot smirked as he lowered Judgment.

"Well Gray, I guess this means we're teammates."

Grau Schatten looked Rot up and down. "I suppose it does. But please for the love of all that's good tell me you'll get my name right."

"Gray, Grau, eh it's all so similar. But don't worry, it'll all come in good time." Rot countered playfully, "I mean after all, where's the fun in life if I worry about things like that?"

Grau stared at Rot with an expression of exasperation. Before he could reply, a growl was heard behind them. Grau grimaced as he spun around, one of his Katana in hand. Rot smirked with the satisfaction that he was right about there being nearby predators. A Beowolf charged towards them. Rot watched as his new partner pressed his thumb against a button on the Katana's handle. He could almost see the gears working within the weapon as it fired a metal projectile from a tube that ran along the left side of the hilt. The Beowolf stumbled as the dart embedded itself within its throat. Grau flashed his Katana in an arc that decapitated the Grimm.

"You weren't going to help?" Grau raised a brow at rot's unmoved stance as he cleaned the blade on the Beowolf's coat.

"Nah." Rot replied while eyeing their surroundings. "It was just one Beowolf. I figured you had it under control."

Grau looked at the dead beast, as if sensing something else, "But where there's one Beowolf…"

Growling could be heard around them. Rot raised Judgment with a grin, "There's bound to be more."

Several of the creatures charged each of them. Rot fired Judgment twice into the knees of one. As the beast slid along the ground, one of its brethren tripped over it. This Beowolf's throat landed right on the waiting blade of Judgment. Rot withdrew the blade from the deceased monster and waited for the next creature to rush him. As it did, he parried the savage claw attack and severed the limb. He spun around and stabbed this beast in the back, bypassing the spinal column and hitting what he assumed was its heart. Unfortunately the blade was a little more pinned than he had expected. Another Beowolf took advantage of this opening and slammed into him, knocking him backwards. Recovering his footing, Rot raised both fists. The creature charged him and swung. He easily deflected the creature's blow with the metal padding of Apocalypse. He dodged a couple of more savage attacks before swinging his leg low and hitting the Beowolf's legs, causing it to stumble. Apocalypse's blade was out within a second, which Rot slammed into the Grimm's head. Another monster rushed him from his left, forcing Rot to move quickly. He used his mind to charge up Apocalypse. The lightning dust flowed into his arm through the weapon. He could feel the very slight sensation of his blood coursing with the energy before the weapon unleashed a burst of red lightning that stopped the flanking creature and killed it.

As Rot tore Judgment out of the deceased Grimm, Grau was continuing to hold his own. He sidestepped a strike from one Beowolf. Then he swung his Katana in an arc that cleaved its head from its body. He sliced at another Beowolf. The creature of darkness leapt back from the dangerous blade, waiting for a better chance to strike. Then two of them charged together once more. Grau leapt back and fired four darts from Geist, his right handed Katana. The darts slammed into the Beowolf and caused it to stumble. While this creature was attempting to recover from the poison within the projectiles, Grau squared off with the other. Two arm swings were easily dodged before Grau plunged the blade into the creature. He withdrew it and turned towards the remaining four that had chosen to face him. He unsheathed Spiritus with his left hand, preparing to dispatch them as swiftly as possible. He triggered both weapon's dart launchers. Several projectiles flew into the creatures farthest from him before he was rushed. The beauty of fighting small Grimm such as Beowolves was their soft furry skin that couldn't withstand the sharp blades of his twin Katana. He swung Spiritus through one and flowed into an arc that cut both blades through the second creature. The third monster however caught him off guard as it slammed into him. This sent him flying into Rot.

Rot stumbled from the impact of his partner and was promptly tackled by the Beowolf he had been taunting moments ago. The monster opened its jaws and leaned towards Rot's face. Rot grimaced as an acidic smell filled his nose. "Your breathe stinks dude."

Using the seconds he had, he placed his left hand in front of the advancing mouth. The huntsman in training activated Apocalypse once more, this time the red lightning flew into the beast's throat. The full weight of the dead monster collapsed onto Rot, prompting him to exhale a sarcastic, "Brilliant."

Grau in the meantime dodged one of the three remaining Beowolves. The other two charged him, forcing him to leap backwards. A quick glance around informed him of a nearby tree that was thin enough to be cut through. One of the Beowolves continued rushing Grau, who simply dodged to the side while slicing Geist through the tree. The once tall plant collapsed on the Beowolf, pinning it to the ground. Rot had finally pushed the dead carcass off of him, just in time to see a Beowolf lunge for him. Swinging Judgment in a swift arc, he dispatched the creature. Grau meanwhile stabbed both blades through the remaining Beowolf. He then ripped both blades sideways, trisecting the creature. The two huntsmen in training stood still, regarding each other and the dead Grimm around them. Rot then looked at Grau.

"We're going to have to get used to the whole teamwork thing I feel." Rot commented with a slight grin. "Cause I get the impression you're not used to fighting alongside someone else any more than I am."

Grau sheathed his twin Katana. "Indeed. That red lightning, what was it?"

"My blood basically supercharges any dust fed into it via Apocalypse here." Rot explained as he gestured towards his gauntlet. "But let's not worry too much about how that works."

"Fair enough." Grau agreed in a reserved tone. "Now shall we head deeper into the jungle and find this objective?"

Before they could progress the pinned Beowolf started to howl. Rot turned towards it and fired Judgment into its head in one swift motion. Upon noticing Grau's stare, he was prompted to ask, "What?"

"That was a sudden movement is all." Grau shrugged a tad slowly, "I wasn't expecting it."

"It would have died anyway; I merely sped up its death. Also this way it won't alert others that we're here." Rot retorted as he opened up the cylinder of Judgment to reload it. That's when he noticed Grau's downed hood and the grey-black hair. "Hold on, I thought you were a student?"

Grau ran one of his hands through his hair before gaining a sudden expression of frustration. "I am. It's just that I suffer a disorder where my body looks years older than it actually is. No it doesn't make me feel any older physically, but it looks strange."

Rot hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay then. Were you planning on hiding it for all your time here or something? I mean that's what you were doing with the hood wasn't it?"

Grau sighed in slight exasperation. "Yes. And no I hadn't thought all the way through how I'd keep it under wraps. I just didn't want people knowing about this…this disorder."

"Dude, it looks cool." Upon receiving a blank stare from Grau, he pushed onwards. "I'm serious. You look almost as old as Ozpin. Do you know how many people are going to be looking up to you for experience and stuff like that? And we've both already established you've gotten some from your village. Besides, worst case scenario, tell them it was a dust experiment gone wrong if you don't want to tell them the truth."

Grau raised a brow, "I'll stick with the truth. But I appreciate your encouragement. I just hate how old it makes me seem."

Rot nodded and began to reply. Then Mars's words cut through his mind, _"You can always see the ones who are like us. We have eyes that are wearier." _He blinked the thought back. "Yeah but trust me. Being thought of as older is a good thing. Opens up some doors that otherwise would remain shut."

"I suppose you could be right." Grau hesitantly responded. "I've just always looked at it negatively. But enough about the past, let's go find these relics."

"Now we're talking." As the two headed off to find their objective, Rot found himself harkening back to when he'd told Grau he thought the two of them were going to get along fine. Now he believed those words more than before.

* * *

Arian walked calmly through the forest, listening for any sudden movements around him. The forest was eerily quiet, so quiet that he could hear the distant sounds of other huntsmen and huntresses-in-training fighting the Grimm. He continued to wait for the inevitable attack from the Grimm. In a forest as obviously dangerous as the Emerald Forest, he knew it was only a matter of time until all his training was finally given a chance to show itself. The artifacts that they were seeking, he wondered what they were. Were they ancient weapons, ancient scrolls, or ancient treasures from a vanquished culture? Or maybe they were simpler, as they were first year students on an initiation mission. Maybe some trinket left behind from generations past. He had no way of knowing for sure. In the distance a loud howl could be heard. Beowolves were hunting. He gave a subconscious growl. He loathed the creatures that were reminiscent of actual animals but nothing more than vicious shadows. There was much he didn't understand about Grimm, but he knew they were the enemies that he needed to remove.

A thud of metal hitting the ground drew his attention. Arian stood still for a moment before turning around and coming face to face with Mars. He could tell the man had been following him. "So you weren't just saying what you thought I wanted to hear this morning were you?"

Mars shook his head. "I meant every word of what I said. I will admit I was trying to judge you this morning, to discern if you'd make a good partner. As you can see, I liked my conclusion. I have been accused of many things, but a liar has never been one of them."

"Then I'm pleased to accept your offer as a partner." Arian replied, "Even if we didn't have a choice after we made eye contact."

Mars gave a slight chuckle. "Now, let us head deeper into this forest and find our objective."

Arian walked with Mars as the two of them continued farther into the forest. He could tell that Mars's shield held a second form within it from its size, but he couldn't seem to discern a second form or even a gun function on the hand and a half blade sheathed on his hip. The two of them continued onwards, ever alert for potential enemies. Distant fighting could still be heard. Arian knew they were being watched, he could almost feel it. As they reached the top of a hill, Arian saw some distant ruins. "Think the relics are there?"

Mars stared for a moment. "I would not be surprised."

The two walked down the hill until they reached the ruins. On several different pillars were chess pieces. "Chess?" Arian muttered, slightly dumfounded, "The relics are chess pieces? Which one should we take you think?"

Mars's expression was still, though facial evidence showed that he was contemplating the question carefully. He reached his hand out towards the black rook. "The rook has always been a useful piece for me in the past. I think it will serve us well again."

"Okay. So why the black one?" Arian asked as he glanced over at the white rook.

Mars shrugged nonchalantly, "Because sometimes the light is not always the solution. Though primarily because I prefer black."

Arian looked back towards the forest. "Alright then, shall we be underway?"

"Soon." Came Mars's calm reply as he slowly drew his hand-and-a-half sword. "First let us ensure we aren't being hunted."

A soft growling noise was the response to Mars's caution.

* * *

Raaka silently walked along the forest floor without any deviation from her course. She wasn't entirely sure where these relics were, but had no doubt they were near. The air in the forest was thick and muggy. Were it not for the temperature change that her armor created around her, she would have been absolutely miserable. Heat and her had never gotten along. Her armored feet made their way through the soft vegetation around her, a few pieces occasionally withering up. A movement sounded behind her, nearly causing her to lash out. Rather than react, she continued along calmly, waiting for something to appear near her. The Grimm had been made out to be rampant in this area, providing an excellent training ground. She knew one must be near, that noise couldn't have been a coincidence. Any moment it would reveal itself.

As if summoned by her thoughts a massive Ursa broke from the brush with a growl, its bear like form crushing several of the bushes. Raaka gave a cold grin and prepared to engage the monster. She initiated her semblance with no reserves. It was necessary that she do so, as it was her means of fighting. Her semblance allowed her to freeze the molecules around her to such an extent it was harder than several metals. That she had imbedded her armor with Ice Dust made it easier on her to create this ice. She formed a simple sword for starters; it would assist in gauging the Ursa's strength. The monster's massive form charged her. Raaka remained stoically still until the creature raised itself up to strike at her. Then she plunged tip of the ice blade into one of the monster's weaker points. Withdrawing the blade, she twirled it again and sliced along the right leg of the beast. Although the weak spot had been as vulnerable as she'd hoped, the rest of the Ursa refuted her blow with relative ease. A slight cut was the only proof that she'd hurt it. The creature rushed her once more, this time full of visible rage.

She created a larger two handed blade of ice and swung it into the beast. The blade cut some of the monster before shattering against force of the charging creature and its thick bone-like extrusions. Using the seconds caused by the Ursa roaring its pain, Raaka created two small handgun-like ice weapons. Although they were not powered by dust, the weapons she had would still launch the projectiles within them at the monster. In this case the projectiles were more of her own created ice spikes. She began launching spike after spike into the Ursa as it charged her. They penetrated just barely into the monster's skin, just barely evident. The creature's arm swung upwards and through her right projectile launcher. As the ice weapon shattered, she created small blades along her knuckles out of the flying ice shards. She then stabbed them into the creature before snapping the ice off inside of it. The Ursa replied by slamming into her with its full force which sent Raaka flying a few feet.

Raaka managed to land into a roll and spring back to her feet. She could see dozens of points where the ice projectiles had embedded themselves into the Ursa. The wounds wouldn't finish off the Ursa; that much was apparent. It barely even hurt the creature. But she wasn't done yet. As the monster growled its displeasure before facing her, Raaka created a lengthy pike out of ice. It was difficult to create a weapon of such size while maintaining all the ice embedded in the creature, but the result would be worth it. Gathering her strength, she hurled the pike into the monster. As the Ursa howled, Raaka rushed forward and slammed her right hand into the base of the pike.

The ice crystals within the base of the weapon exploded violently away from Raaka. This initial explosion created a chain reaction of equally powerful explosions that tore its way down the pike and into the Ursa. Dozens of ice crystal were suddenly triggered into a cataclysmic explosion. In mili-seconds the mild inconveniences became lethal as they ripped through the Ursa in dozens of places. The monster's eyes stared at Raaka in shock as its ruined body collapsed to the ground. Raaka allowed the remaining ice shards around her to disintegrate. She gave it a cold grin. The monster had been a good sport, but it wasn't enough to challenge her truly. She needed to complete her objective. Beacon was a place to hone her skills for her plan, nothing more. Her chilling expression disappeared as she heard a movement behind her. Within a heartbeat she had created an ice blade and had the point leveled at the intruder.

Schwarz Umbra stared down the icy blade at her without so much as a twitch to suggest he was concerned. _'Good work.'_

"Schwarz." She hissed, "You could've gotten yourself killed."

Schwarz shook his head, _'I knew you wouldn't kill me. Come, I know where the relics are.'_

"How?" Raaka had to admit her slight surprise, "And how'd you avoid anyone else?"

_'Same way I always do.'_ He signed. He then abruptly began to disappear into shadows before reemerging behind her. _'By Shadowwalking.'_

Raaka exhaled slightly. She then replied to Schwarz by signing in his own language, _'Very well then. Let's go find these relics.'_

* * *

Nila Feur made her way through the forest, waiting for something to emerge. It didn't help that she could hear the distant sounds of fighting. But for now, despite her eagerness to start fighting, she'd continue on with her goal. She ran a hair through her blue-black hair as she scanned the forest for clues of where to go next. The dense tree lines made it near impossible to accurately predict her destination. Add in that her blood was racing in desire for the fights around her, and Nila was having a very difficult time concentrating. It wouldn't be long before the battles found her. She glanced over towards her right and could see smoke rising from a not so distant fire. Apparently one of her classmates had been a little less than careful with their dust and set a portion of the forest ablaze. As she regarded this, she became aware of Beowolves fleeing the fire. The lead monster turned its head towards her and howled. Nila realized they were about to come for her.

Feeling the anticipation rush through her body, she reached over her back and grabbed the hilt of her weapon, Blaze. The weapon was currently in its claymore form. The massive blade was divided down the middle by twin gun barrels. As she spun it around, she initiated a sequence to transform the weapon. The weapon split in half along with the handle. The handle was still connected by a hinge that allowed her to snap the weapon into its second form by connecting the pummels. When she finished spinning her weapon around, she ended up with a double bladed weapon, with a gun barrel running along each of the blades' dull edges. She smiled at the pack of Beowolves regarding her while holding her weapon so one blade was behind her and one was in front, "So. Who's first?"

Rather than wait for the creatures to charge her, Nila took the initiative by rushing towards the waiting mass of Grimm. Caught between a charging girl and the slowly encroaching fire, the monsters had no qualms charging back. Nila fired the rear barrel of Blaze to add in power to her swing. The blade sliced through the lead Beowolf with relative ease as Nila spun through the air. As she came out of the spin she fired one of her blades' barrels into the encroaching horde of monsters. One of the Grimm chose to launch itself at her from the side, only to be met with a grizzly end as Nila twirled around and bisected it with her blade. By now she had cut her way into the center of the group of monsters. Two lunged at her from either side, but were promptly dispatched with a blast from each barrel of her weapon. A slightly larger creature rushed at her, she leapt over the charge and impaled Blaze into the Grimm. As it collapsed another Beowolf rushed her. Nila twirled around the hilt of her lengthy weapon to build up momentum which allowed her kick to send the creature back to its pack mates. Nila withdrew Blaze from the deceased Beowolf and evaluated the remaining members of the pack.

She was now entirely surrounded by the snarling pack. Although she'd easily dispatched at least seven of the enemies, there were most likely more than she could handle alone. The thought that she had miscalculated crossed her mind, but she wasn't down for the count yet. A sudden yell caught the attention of all those engaged as a figure performed a flip over several Beowolves before landing on the head of one. The thick plating on its head was crushed underneath thick metal boots and the force of the person. As the two Beowolves on either side reacted, the figure withdrew twin Chakram from her hips. She sliced one through one of the monsters while it rushed her. This was followed up with her throwing her other Chakram into the Beowolf closest to Nila. The new contender performed a flip that landed her next to the dead monster and allowed her to recover her weapon.

"Well you've got a flair for dramatic timing." Nila commented with a slight grin. "Did you need me to be surrounded before you could help?"

The girl who had helped Nila was taller than she with deep black hair and simple black clothing covering her tanned body. Metal gauntlets and gloves allowed her to grip the two bladed discs she held in her hands. She looked up with brown eyes. "Call it luck that you were near the fire."

Nila nodded in agreement. "I can accept that. Introductions after we murder this pack of monsters?"

"Sounds fair." The girl concurred. She hurled her twin Chakram into the horde of enemies. They abruptly sent out a pulse of dust energy. One Chakram sent out a pulse of energy that flash froze the Beowolves next to it, while the other unleashed a pulse of fire energy that shattered them. Nila could see the spent dust crystal fragments fall out of the bladed discs as they ricocheted off of surfaces and returned to their wielders hands.

"Well then." Nila began as she brought her gaze back to the now decreased numbers of enemies. "This just got a lot easier."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is Chapter 4. After this chapter I have intentions of altering the pace of updating to a consistent pace of some kind, but lengthening the chapters, aiming for the length of the previous chapter as the average length, and taking a little more time for quality checking before posting. Hope you enjoy. As usual I don't own RWBY, merely came up with some ideas for a story that I'm writing. **

* * *

Volume 1: Chapter 4: _Assembling the Pieces_

_"Over the top, over the top!  
Right now, it's killing time!_

Over the top, over the top!  
The only way out is to die!"  
~Bullet for my Valentine, "Scream Aim Fire"

Volume 1: Chapter 4: _Assembling the Pieces_

Some days Arian hated being right. Other days he hated being wrong. And still other days, like today, he hated other people being right. This reflection crossed through his mind as he and Mars faced the creature that had emerged from the forest. It was somewhere between three to four meters tall on all four limbs with a massive shell that covered most of its back and limbs. Demonic red eyes glared out from the skull mask that covered its head. Then its star shaped mouth opened into a roar, revealing hundreds of razor sharp teeth. Arian just stared at the monster for a moment before turning toward Mars. "So what's the plan?"

Mars spun his sword to a ready pose. "We stall the monster until more fellow students show up to assist us in besting it."

Arian brought his gaze slowly back to the monster as he extended both Luna's and Fenrir's claws. The massive armadillo like Grimm gave another hiss before growing massive spikes from its shell. "And what exactly is 'it'?"

"If we kill it, we name it. At least I believe that is how the naming convention for the Grimm goes." Mars replied with a slight grin.

"Was that a joke?" Arian replied, amazed at his comrade's calmness in the face of the biggest Grimm he'd ever seen. Before he could add in another comment, the massive monster curled into a ball and rolled towards the pair. Arian leapt aside, firing bullets from his the barrels of Lupa and Fenrir. The amount of ammunition in each of them was a very finite amount, as he had never created a loading system that would have allowed clips to easily integrate into the weapons, but it would have to do. Round after round ricocheted off of the beast's massive hide as it continued to roll towards Mars. Mars held his ground until the Grimm was closer. Then he spun to the side, slashing his sword along the side of the rolling Grimm. Instead of scratching the monster, Mars was sent sliding backwards.

"That Grimm's shell is impregnable." Mars mussed, "At least to our attacks. Perhaps there is an easier way to defeat it."

The creature emerged from its roll and turned back towards the pair. Its tongue, tipped with sharp spikes, lashed out towards the both of them. Mars grabbed his shield and blocked the beast's attack with it. Despite his massive frame, Mars was still sent sliding back once again from the impact. The monster reared up as if it was preparing to attack once more. A shape suddenly emerged from the shadows, clothed in a black cloak that seemed to be as much a part of the shadows the man had just emerged from as it was a part of the real world. Arian recognized the form of Schwarz near instantly. The well-built mute with near no hair was not easily forgotten. Round after round was fired from his massive tri-barreled weapon, causing several dozen explosions against the side of the beast. As it stumbled, another figure rushed out of the forest and created a spear of ice from the air around her. Hurling it with precision she struck the softer underside of the stumbling monster. Arian had not been expecting to see Raaka again, but he was currently glad for it.

Mars briefly twirled his relic through his right hand before stashing it and grasping his sword anew. Schwarz seemed to have gotten the hint, as he disappeared into shadows one moment and was back with a black rook of his own the next. As the mute began firing round after round from his weapon, Raaka continued her charge. She swung several blows at the monster with her ice blades, but each weapon was shattered upon impact against the thick shell. A swing from the Grimm's tail sent her flying backwards before she caught herself. Mars leveled his shield and triggered a transformation. A lengthy barrel emerged from the shield and unleashed a steady barrage of rounds at the monster. In response to the heavy barrage of incoming rounds, the Grimm rolled back into a ball and swung round to avoid them. Arian's sensitive ears heard another crashing sound seconds before a massive spider like Grimm emerged. Its eyes glowed with the same demonic look as the armadillo-Grimm. Skeleton like plates covered its legs and back, providing it with an additional form of defense.

Raaka stepped back, uncertainty crossing her face for the first time. "I'm not sure we can take both of these alone."

"We are not alone." Mars countered. "Other students are in these woods. We merely need to wait until they find us to reinforce us. If we work together we can pull this off."

Schwarz signed something before Raaka translated it, "How sure are you that we can cooperate that well?"

A bolt of red lightning streaked from a nearby tree and hit the spider, staggering it and causing it to turn its vengeful glare in that direction. A man in a dark red armor dropped down, who Arian slowly recognized as the man he'd meet on the cliff. "Don't worry your pretty little faces any longer; Rot Blitz and Grau Schatten are here to help."

If Raaka hadn't been fighting for her life, Arian was certain the glare she gave the newcomer would have been followed with a spear of ice. She seemed the type to do such actions. Rot's partner emerged with twin katana in hand; Arian assumed this man was Grau. Schwarz definitely had a brief reaction to his appearance. Mars looked over at them as the Spider-Grimm advanced. "One of you get a relic and the other help us handle this."

Grau looked at Rot and nodded towards the Spider before rushing off. Rot drew a simple revolver-based gunblade and began firing several rounds at the monster. The creature simply raised its front two limbs and shielded its vulnerable eyes as it continued forward, trampling nearby brush. The Armadillo-Grimm had returned to its rolling form and was bearing down on the others in the meantime. As they dodged the monster, two more huntresses-in-training rushed out of the forest. "Whoa." The one in deep blue armor could be heard saying. "Think they need our help Ebony?"

"Nila." The girl in black clothing replied in calm voice, "I sincerely hope you're kidding."

Rot continued stalling the monster that was advancing on him. After unleashing a blast of red lightning, he easily rolled to the side and avoided the massive claw that slammed into the ground where he'd been standing. Before he could attempt to counter attack, a second limb slammed into him and knocked him backwards. He stood up a little slower than before. Grau was there in a heartbeat, swinging both his Katana against the Spider to get its attention. As he landed from his attack and dodged another blow, Nila and Ebony showed up. "So Grau. You need some help?"

Grau looked at them. "It would be appreciated. Catch."

As Grau said this, he tossed Nila a white bishop. Nila nodded in understanding. Arian observed the surrounding fellow classmen of his. They were cooperating mainly off of instinct, but he supposed it was enough to keep them alive. Rot dodged another blow and ended up next to Mars. "Who do you want to take care of big guy? Roller or Arachno?"

Mars spun his sword again. "The Arachnoid. Arian, are you with me?"

"Yeah. Let's take this eight legger."

"We might be able to help." Raaka commented as she and Schwarz ran over. The Armadillo-Grimm was recovering from slamming into a nearby cliff face. Rot ran off with Grau next to him, while Mars and his allies rushed the Spider-Grimm. The monster swung its legs at them again, which was barely avoided. Mars sliced his sword against the leg in response, yielding no fruit of his attack. The hardened exoskeleton prevented any attacks form damaging the spider-Grimm from the outside. Schwarz's explosive rounds detonated against the tough exterior of the monster with little effect. Arian was able to hit a few minor soft spots with his weaker rounds. The spider reared up and unleashed a spray of webbing from its spinneret. Schwarz became a shadow once more, flowing through the webbing. Unfortunately some of it caught Arian.

He gave a growl as his body became entangled in the sticky webbing. His claws were pinned at an angle that he couldn't cut free. With every movement, he became more trapped. Then everything grew cold. Arian's golden eyes looked over as Raaka froze the webbing he was trapped within. Then, with an abrupt motion, she shattered the crystalized strands, freeing him. "Thanks."

She gave a slight noise of acknowledgment, but it was better than nothing. Then she began creating a frozen sword. Mars had witnessed the entire exchange. Reflecting on what had just occurred, his eyes began to light up with a plan. "Raaka." He called out, "Could you freeze the Grimm's legs."

Raaka's icy blue eyes flashed over the monster. "If I had an opening, yes."

Mars nodded with determination shining in his eyes. "Then I will provide one."

The crimson armored warrior rushed towards the monster. The spider-Grimm raised two of its legs and brought them down. The first missed Mars, but the second was caught upon his shield. He began firing the machine gun within his shield into the monster's soft underbelly. Raaka in the meantime seemed to be gauging the monster for weak points. As a screeching noise escaped the wounded Grimm, it brought its front leg down towards Mars, only for him to sever the limb at its unguarded internal junction. Raaka waited for a moment before shouting to her partner, "Schwarz, now."

The former cooperation between the two was shown as the man rushed forward and grabbed Raaka, transporting them both into shadows. They reemerged beneath the beast. Raaka's hands glowed a cold white before energy emerged from them and froze the two legs that were closest to her. Mars leapt back while Schwarz grabbed Raaka and shadow-walked them both to safety. Schwarz then reappeared and leapt upwards, firing his heavy weapon's volatile rounds into the frozen limbs. They shattered under the heavy fire like glass. During its pain induced roar of agony, one of its remaining limbs swung upwards and sent Schwarz flying into a tree. Raaka looked briefly torn between attacking and checking on Schwarz. Before anyone else could reengage, Arian rushed the beast on his own. He leapt up from the ground and placed his feet on the one of the spider's remaining left limbs. He then launched off of that and embedded the blades of Fenrir into a soft spot of the Spider's front. Arian then initiated his semblance. A brilliant bright light shone from his hands just in front of the Grimm's eyes. It shrieked in pain and terror as the brilliant light from Arian's palms blinded it. He ensured his head was turned away from the light. This was what cost him however, as the Spider-Grimm slammed him into a tree. As he fell, he saw Mars rushing the beast, blade in hand.

With no eyesight left to spot the approaching danger, the monster stumbled around, flailing wildly. Mars easily avoided the attempted attacks as he sliced his blade along the inside of the creature's legs. With its muscles' connections severed, the monster collapsed to the ground. Raaka advanced with dual ice launchers created along her hand. She raised her hands and launched round after round into the wounded Grimm's now obvious soft spots. Then she gestured as her hands shone with the same icy energy. The creature gave a final shriek as it was slowly frozen solid. Schwarz emerged from where he had fallen. Giving the monster a disdainful glare, he fired a single round into it and shattered the massive frozen monster.

Mars walked forward as he sheathed his blade. He reached down and assisted Arian back to his feet. "Well then. Shall we be off to the cliff?"

And with that Mars was followed by Arian, Raaka, and Schwarz back to Beacon.

* * *

Rot dodged the monster's massive claws as they tore through a nearby tree. He came out of the roll firing the last three rounds from Judgment. A slight growl of frustration escaped him as the rounds bounced off of the tough shell. Grau avoided the monster as well.

"This thing's shell's near unbreakable." Rot grunted as he dodged a falling tree. "We need to get it to expose its soft side."

Grau sheathed one of his Katana as he avoided the monster in its rolling form. "To do that we need it to feel pain in there."

Nila perked up. "I have an idea. My semblance should help us in this department."

Before either Grau or Rot could ask what she meant by that, the girl with blue-highlights spun her blade back into its claymore form. Her hands began to glow a brilliant blue. The light continued to travel up along her blade until it was completely ablaze with blue fire. She leapt into the air as the monster came around for another rolling attack. She slammed the burning blade into the Grimm, creating a minute explosion of fire from the point of impact. As she was hurled backwards, she landed on her feet and began firing flaming rounds from the twin barrels at the monster. Rot caught site of Ebony loading different dust fragments into her Chakram. Rot looked at Grau.

"Light it up." Grau confirmed as he combined his twin katana. The barrels combined into one single large barrel that he loaded a new set of ammunition into. "That'll get it out of its shell."

The Grimm continued rolling towards them despite Nila's barrage of flaming projectiles. Rot quickly loaded flame dust into Apocalypse. Ebony hurled her twin Chakram and activated them, unleashing two waves of fire against either side of the monster. Rot followed this up by unleashing a torrent of his blood empowered fire against the Grimm. The Armadillo-Grimm emerged from its roll with a pain-filled roar. It then began digging into the ground. A part of Rot almost laughed. Switching out his flame dust for his preferred lightning dust, Rot rushed after the monster. He could hear Grau yell at him to come back. Yell that the objective wasn't to kill the Grimm, but to continue on to the cliff. But he didn't listen. His ears were suddenly filled with the sounds of screaming, of yelling, shouting, and shooting from a time past. He could feel the scalpels and needles enter into his skin. The Grimm realized that Rot wasn't going to give it time to escape, so it resumed its offensive.

Opening its mouth wide, it lashed out with its spiked tongue. Rot dodged the blow and caught the tongue in his left hand. He then channeled the dust through Apocalypse and into the monster's tongue. A painful screech escaped the monster as lightning coursed along its sensitive tongue. In response, the rows of teeth were fired like rockets at Rot. His eyes widened before a blur appeared in front of him. Grau's twin Katana flashed in the sunlight as he deflected the myriad of projectiles. He then slashed his blades through the monster's tongue. The monster stumbled back in pain before rushing. Ebony appeared, flipping over both of them before hurling her Chakram into the monster's face. As the bladed discs ricocheted back to her, the monster continued on.

"Nila." Grau shouted, "Burn him."

Nila rushed forward and swung her flaming claymore into the beast's face. As the weapon cut through the wounded monster, she unleashed a volley of flaming rounds into its head. With a final howl, the Grimm collapsed. Ebony placed her Chakram on her hips.

"Why did you go after that thing?" Grau snapped around towards Rot.

"Hey." Rot held up his hands defensively, "It would've tried hurting our comrades if we hadn't dealt with it."

"While that might be accurate, rushing in alone against something like that is sure to get you killed." Grau countered. "And then you would've left us alone to make up for your loss."

"But it didn't happen like that." Rot bit back. "Besides, I wasn't the only one charging in. Or did you miss the blue ball of fury over there when she charged it with little to no explanation."

"Uhm, I'm right here you know?" Nila interjected.

"So is that going to be your justification for doing something stupid?" Grau retorted. "'Well it hasn't killed me yet'."

"I apologize for thinking about others." Rot ground out. Internally he knew that it was far from the most accurate statement he had made. "The only good Grimm's a dead Grimm. That's why we're here isn't it?"

"Boys." Ebony's voice cut through the air. "I think we might not be the only ones not dead yet."

The four of them turned to see the Monster standing back up. Half of its face was burnt, but it still seemed to hold Hell's fury within its remaining eyes. Rot stared dumbfounded at the incredible act of resilience. "Grau. Let's bicker about whether me charging after this thing was the right idea later, after we finally kill it."

"Sounds fair." Grau slowly responded. The four of them leapt backwards as massive claws ripped through the air they'd been standing in before. Ebony performed a front flip and delivered a kick to the monster's face. The impact stumbled it slightly, but it retorted with a swipe of its claw that sent her flying backwards. The girl in black landed and glared in frustration at the monster. Nila spun her claymore around and unloaded another volley of flaming bullets, which deflected off of the armored limbs of the creature. Rot glared at the beast before losing a heavy barrage of his lightning. The energy slammed into the monster and caused it to roar in pain. It then rushed into him and sent him flying. He slammed into a rock and slid to the ground. His vision was hazy and disoriented. He could tell he'd spent more blood in that attack than he'd meant. Standing suddenly became a problem when he tried to get back to his feet.

As Rot stumbled, Grau caught him. The red armored huntsman in training looked at Grau. "Do you trust me?"

"More than I should." Grau's reply held the strain of slight effort, "Considering your ideas so far."

Rot smirked, at least he hadn't truly alienated Grau. "Good. Then I know how to take this thing down. And it requires two blades."

"I'm going to hate this aren't I?" Grau rhetorically asked.

Ebony dodged another swipe and hurled her white Chakram into the beast. As the weapon returned to Ebony's hand, Nila leapt over with her blade in its dual form and slashed her blade in a spiral form into the monster. The flaming blades scorched the shell, but did little physical damage. A single bullet flew overhead and hit one of the Grimm's eyes. Rot stood on his own and fired a second shot. This was deflected by the monster's claws. Grau was suddenly behind Nila. "Nila, when I say light him up, burn the ground beneath him."

Nila glanced down. "Okay."

Grau looked over to Ebony, "and I need you to hit him with both Chakram's dust at once in the neck."

Ebony nodded. Rot then rushed forward. Despite the amount of blood he had used, he knew he was good for at least two more heavy hits. Dodging a claw swing he stabbed Apocalypse's short blade into the monster's unguarded portion of the limb and sent a bolt of lightning through into the skin. The monster yanked its arm back, fully exposing its belly. Grau shouted to Nila to burn. The blue armored huntress-in-training unleashed a volley of flaming rounds into the grass beneath it, forcing it to keep upwards or burn its vulnerable underbelly. Ebony hurled her Chakram towards the beast's neck. Before they could be knocked aside by the monster's claws, she initiated the twin bursts of dust, wounding the more vulnerable neck. Grau then rushed forward, leaping through the flaming ground and stabbing both blades into the monster's belly. As he slid along the ground, his blades ripped through the soft underbelly. The dying monster began collapsing around him on the controlled fire, but there was just enough of an opening that he was able to roll out from underneath before the massive monster fully collapsed.

Grau sheathed his blades before checking himself for any burning pieces of clothing. Nila stood there for a moment. "That was awesome." She cheered.

Rot laughed. "I have to say. I've never seen a Grimm like that, but it gave us one good fight. But we put it down."

"Thanks to your idea." Grau commented.

Rot shook his head, "No. I just said gut it. The fire, dust explosions to the neck, and sliding on the ground were all your idea. And pretty flashy for a guy who uses simple weapons."

Grau shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the slight feelings of self-consciousness filling him. "I just enjoy interesting ways to take down enemies. Sometimes they just happen to be flashy."

"I hate to intercede. But don't we have a mission to complete?" Ebony inquired.

"Killjoy." Rot slid new rounds into Judgment's chambers. "Can't we just savor the moment?"

"We probably should be going." Grau admitted. "Let's roll out."

As Grau led Rot, Ebony and Nila away, the Armadillo-Grimm gave one last breathe of life. Had they stayed a little longer, they would have seen a blonde brawler and her secretly-Faunus companion arrive at the ruins where they had begun this battle before grabbing a "cute little pony".

The rest of the day was a blur for Rot. It could have been because of the speed at everything was taken at. Or it could have been because he had expended more blood than intended between the past two days and would now be forced to rely on more traditional means of fighting if combat was needed any time soon. But either way, the next thing he consciously realized was that he was standing in line before a stage, listening to Professor Ozpin giving a speech of sorts.

"Mars Auburn, Arian Ardolph, Raaka Isolde, and Schwarz Umbra. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces and will here by forth be known as team MARS." Ozpin paused briefly for dramatic effect, "Led by Mars Auburn."

Arian clapped Mars on the back, who looked unsurprised by this declaration. Raaka looked towards Schwarz and gave a grin that didn't look like it would freeze fire. Schwarz for his part nodded in contentment. Rot was aware that he and Grau were then told to advance to the stage. Ebony and Nila filed in behind them.

"Grau Schatten, Rot Blitz, Ebony Veil, and Nila Feur. You four returned with the white bishop pieces and have been henceforth combined to form team GREN."

Rot snorted under his breath, "Something red related would've been better."

Ozpin's voice overrode any response by his teammates, "Led by Grau Schatten."

Grau stared like he was in slight surprise. Rot began laughing, "Well at least you look older than me, boss."

Nila patted him on the back, "I can't wait to see how we top this previous stunt."

Ebony gave a simple nod of approval. As they left the stage, Ozpin whispered a parting comment to Grau. "Lead them well. There is far more to threaten them than just the Grimm."

Grau nodded his understanding as he and his team walked away. Rot, having heard the comment, reflected on what the headmaster had meant.

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**Feel Free to Review if you desire.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I apologize for the lengthy delay between the last update and this one. Life got a little busy and I got a little sidetracked. The release of Borderlands the Pre-Sequel didn't help either. Hopefully we'll get back on a regular semblance of a schedule somewhere along the line. 11/14/2014 update: Between College, an original work project, and just life in general I still can't promise a solid schedule anytime soon. As usual, I don't own RWBY and I hope you all enjoy**

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Volume 1: Chapter 5: Breaking the Ice

_"Fighting with the team is the easy part; it's leading them that's hard."_

Rot had never been a heavy sleeper. He'd always flittered between consciousness and the sweet embrace of darkness throughout the most peaceful of nights. The more restless eves he'd spend awake staring into the black, wishing his mind would rest. When he closed his eyes, he'd hear screams and panic. Gunshots and swords clashing as a fire ravaged throughout the research laboratory. In the center of it all would stand a fifteen year old boy, too confused, delirious, and in all honesty to scared to fight, barely holding his wits together enough to grab a weapon and run. It was this insomniac curse of his that caused him to be lying where he was, awake and staring at the ceiling. His left arm was still within Apocalypse for obvious reasons. One didn't just remove something that was embedded into your central nervous system. The first subtle rays of sunlight began to filter through the window and scatter the dark. He turned his head and gazed at the clock. 0630 the red numbers glared. Exhaling slowly, he stood up.

Their first class wasn't for another two and a half hours, but on the nights Rot couldn't sleep there was no point trying to pretend he'd succeed in fleeing reality for two hours. He reached into one of his suitcases -they still had yet to unpack- and slid out a simple dark red shirt. Rot slid it over his scarred body and paused for a moment. He always wore long-sleeve shirts. They covered all the scars that crossed his body and helped him avoid awkward questions. Though he always needed to cut the left sleeve short for Apocalypse. Rot stealthily slid out of the door and into the hall. The halls were deserted; this early in the morning it was hardly any surprise. Rot let a small grin cross his face before he started walking through the silent hall. The previous night he had passed out on his bed because of the amount of blood he had expended on the initiation. Although not enough to cause any lasting damage, it had been enough to threaten him with unconsciousness. A normal human's bone marrow would be barely troubled to keep up with the loss of blood cells Rot suffered. But those experiments had ensured he was far from normal, and not in a good way. Rot walked slowly through the halls until he was out in the courtyard gazing into the fountain. His reflection stared back at him. The eyes flashed red for a moment, causing Rot to stumble back. A brief shook of his head cleared his mind. Muttering a curse at his hallucinations, Rot pulled out his scroll and proceeded to contact Bruno.

"Rot?" Came the groggy voice. "Do you realize what time it is man?"

"Yes, I know." Rot placated the smuggler, "But I need a favor. One that I'd prefer not saying in front of other people."

Bruno's reply was a little more alert than it had been previously, "Who do you need it on?"

"I need everything you have on a Grau Schatten, an Ebony Veil, and a Nila Feur." Rot paused for a moment as he reflected on the past day, "and everything on a Mars Auburn."

"I'll see what I can dig up. You'll have to give me a little time to pay off Junior. He normally helps me get this info." Rot could tell Bruno was beginning to get his mind into working order.

"Take money from one of my accounts, the Mistral one, to pay off Junior. Keep the rest as payment for this and future assistance." Rot whispered his reply quickly, "Access code is 4190."

Bruno was silent for a moment. "Are you sure about this Rot?"

"Yes. Just do what you need to." Rot responded.

"I'll dig up what I can. It'll probably be a few days." Bruno was in full business mode now, "I'll get it to you when I have it. Good luck Rot."

"Thanks Bruno. Till later." Rot then cut off his scroll and ended the call. He glanced around the courtyard to ensure no one had seen him. With this ball set in motion, he now would have any information the people of Vale, and probably a few other places, had on his new teammates. And Mars. Something about that man troubled Rot. He wasn't sure what, but the way he had known that Rot wasn't a regular student. The way he had seemingly broken down each and every person he met. The way his words had seemed to carry more weight than others. The way that Rot knew he should have been more exhausted after that battle physically, but wasn't. His mind wandered back over his memories as he stared towards the vanishing stars. Realizing he better ensure he was back before his teammates awoke, Rot initiated his return journey. It still surprised him that the dorm rooms were co-ed. It wasn't exactly the most private of settings for either gender. But he supposed it could theoretically support the team unity thing. Or ruin it. Depended on your perspective.

He crept as quietly back into the room as he'd left it. He began to approach his bed, only to be greeted by Grau staring at him. "Couldn't sleep?"

"How did you notice me coming in?" Rot gaped incredulously. "No one could've heard that door close."

"Semblance." Was Grau's calm reply, "I can sense vibrations through the air and sometimes the ground. Your first door opening was subtle but got my attention. This one I caught. So, couldn't sleep?"

"Restless sleeper." Rot uneasily countered, "Don't worry about it."

"We're in the same team that I'm leading now. I see it is as my concern. Also you were very still for a restless sleeper throughout the night." Grau's hazel eyes stared into Rot intently.

"Well don't worry about me." Rot hissed back quietly. "I'm fine."

As Rot lay back down on his bed, he knew Grau didn't believe him. He also knew his response had been a tad harsh, but he also had to establish that he didn't want Grau too concerned or going to areas he shouldn't be. The irony of the sentiment and his past actions wasn't lost on him. The next hour passed without sleep. An alarm went off, awakening the team. Nila was the first up with a fire in her eyes that made Rot swear she had more energy than a normal human should. Grau apparently had barely gotten back to sleep as he was the next up. He walked over to his suitcase and began rummaging for something. Rot simply slid his way until his back was against a wall. Ebony was the last up, not that any of them had taken more than a few seconds. She simply got up, grabbed some clothes, and departed for a more private area to change. Rot glanced at the uniforms they had and grimaced internally. It was essentially a suit. The fact that he couldn't wear his armor annoyed him slightly, but he supposed he'd make due. As he started sorting the uniform into its separate parts, he noted the left sleeves were all cut short. Apparently they'd customized uniforms as needed. Rot took off his maroon shirt and reached for the white shirt of the uniform. Then he heard a noise that could have been a mix of a gasp and a cough, but it was definitely not from Grau.

"Where did you get all those scars?" Nila's question was part shock, part sympathy.

Rot mentally kicked himself for not having realized that no one on his team had seen those scars before. He had just been thinking about it too. "We grow up in a world where we're trained to fight monsters. Where do you think I got them from?"

A second voice commented as Ebony walked back in, "Those are too neat for battle scars. They look more like the scars from surgeries that didn't properly heal."

Rot slipped into his white shirt and continued on with his sarcastic manner, "So you're our team's resident doctor then?"

Ebony shrugged as she put on her blazer. "My father is, so you could say it runs in the family."

"That's great to know." Rot rolled his eyes as he forced the sleeve over Apocalypse. The metal gauntlet nearly tore the fabric. "Look the scars are from the past and their story can stay there. Sound fair?"

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Nila retorted as she grabbed her clothes. She then went to change where Ebony had. Rot sighed in slight exasperation.

"Yeah, but at least I don't have to leave the room to change." Rot countered as he slipped his pants over his shorts, an old habit that allowed him to take off his pants in warmer temperatures without being indecent. Again, he could've come up with a better comeback but had still been so caught off guard that he was lagging behind. Ebony shot a quick glare that Rot understood to imply he should have changed elsewhere.

Nila pivoted on her heel with the same fire in her eyes. "I could change right here. Wouldn't bother me in the slightest."

Grau's head suddenly snapped up from the tie that he'd been cursing at a mere moment ago. "Let's all just relax. Nila, ignore Rot and change. Rot, stop antagonizing her."

"Boss, I'd like to make it abundantly clear that she was antagonizing me." Rot replied in mild defensiveness. "All because she couldn't mind her own business."

"As much as I'd love to keep trading barbs with you, I don't feel like being late for class." Nila retorted, "So we'll just call this duel off."

Nila then left to get changed, leaving Rot to stare at the tie that was suddenly placed in his hands by Grau. A thought crossed his mind abruptly while he gazed at the simple red piece of clothing that suddenly seemed more difficult a challenge than any Grimm he'd ever fought. "Grau. How do I tie one of these?"

Rot looked to his team leader, who was still attempting to get his own tie to resemble what it was supposed to. Grau gave him a sheepish shrug. An exasperated snort could be heard from Ebony as she strode forward. "Here, let me handle this. You'd think you'd never worn a tie before."

"Uh, well I honestly haven't." Rot countered. "Never liked them much."

Ebony continued fixing Rot's tie as she responded, "It's one of the first things you should've learned before you got here. Where'd you go to school?"

"Let's just say my training was a little unorthodox." Rot hesitated briefly before supplying the last word; he then attempted to divert attention off of him. "I don't know what boss's excuse is."

Grau looked up from his mildly finished tie. "To be fair, I bought myself a black clip on tie. Wasn't expecting to be issued one here that was red."

Ebony, who had finished tying Rot's tie during Grau's response, turned a disbelieving gaze upon Grau that all but asked if he truly thought that was an acceptable defense. The three of them remained like that for around a moment, with the only real movement being Grau shifting under Ebony's judgmental gaze and Rot staring at his tie in disdain. Nila walked in and raised a brow. "What did I miss?"

Before anyone could reply, an alarm blared in their ears. Grau reached over, still under the scrutiny of Ebony, and turned it off. "Fifteen minutes till first class."

The four of them remained slightly still before Ebony turned back towards the door. "Well I suppose we should get going."

Grau shook his head briefly before following the girl out of the door. Nila looked over at Rot. "Okay, so seriously, what just happened?"

Rot glanced over at her. "Honestly, I'm not even sure. But I'm now wondering why we're going to class fifteen minutes early."

"You realize it won't be that early when we get there, right?" Nila responded as the two of them set off after their team leader.

"Irrelevant details. It's still the concept that we're leaving fifteen minutes before hand to get there that I'm stumped on. We could probably make it in a third of that time." Rot shook his head in mock exasperation, "But at least we won't be running to class I suppose. Feel bad for whoever that happens to."

The four of them didn't arrive to the classroom before everyone, as Rot's initial fear had been. It did cause him to wonder what kind of people must've attended this school to get to class more than seven minutes early. He promptly began walking towards the back. Nila gave a little not so subtle cough and motioned towards the front where Ebony had already taken a seat. Rot chuckled, "Oh no. You can drag me out of our room earlier than needed, but no way am I sitting up front."

Nila rolled her eyes before sitting next to her partner. Rot continued to the back corner. Grau was not far from where he'd intended to sit, so he sat next to his team leader. "Don't like the front either?" Grau questioned.

"Nah. Not as easy to observe people," Rot nonchalantly responded. "Also, I like to have my back to a wall."

Grau nodded in an understanding manner, "I can relate. Too much attention being upfront."

Team MARS walked in shortly after. Mars strode up to the seat next to Rot like he owned it. Then again, considering his imposing figure even in the suit and the lack of anyone in the seat, Rot supposed he may as well claim it. Arian sat next to him while Schwarz and Raaka took seats in the rows in front of them. Rot watched Mars cautiously with his peripheral vision. His attention was brought back to the front when the Professor finally began. He seemed a tad overweight with greying hair that betrayed his age. The man was also shorter than he expected a huntsman to be. There was also the matter of his ridiculous looking mustache. Rot assumed that his weapon was the one hanging on the wall, a blunderbuss-axe-hybrid that yet again made Rot wonder how some weapons were used efficiently by huntsmen and huntresses. His name was Professor Peter Port. And he was supposedly going to teach them about killing Grimm

With minimal preamble Professor Port began his monologue "Monsters! Demons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" It was at this point that Rot realized Port had attempted to make a joke. "Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses... Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

A student stood up and gave a cry "Ayyyy-yep!" Seeing no response from those around him, he sat back down with chagrin written on his face. Rot rolled his eyes for what felt like the dozenth time today. As the professor devolved into a story monologue, Mars muttered a comment that only Rot and Arian heard, "He may seem dry and boring. But he seems to have at least a slight understanding of the danger. But I wonder if he understands how great the danger still is."

Rot stared at Mars for a moment, weighing his words, before turning back to the Professor. Who was still on his monologue, "Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me..."

"I wonder if he's as good as he says he is." Rot whispered back to Mars. The larger man smirked as if evaluating their professor.

A sudden, "Ah-heh-hem!" caught their attention as Port continued speaking, "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my _sheer_ tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero. The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable. A true Huntsman must be dependable! A True Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Rot had to admit, Professor Port had a way with rhetoric. Giving a slight smirk he started to raise his hand, but was cut off as an angry hand was flung into the air followed by a shout, "I do, sir!"

Rot stared at the person. The white hair was nearly all he needed to recognize the outspoken student. "Is that Weiss Schnee? The heiress to that Dust Company?"

Mars's cool visage remained in place as he nodded, "Schnee dust company, biggest industry around. Exploits the weak to make a profit from the rich."

Arian gave Mars a look that spoke of approval. Grau glanced over before muttering, "I wonder what that did for her." The tone that he spoke in suggested he had more to say than he was.

"Well I'm mainly curious to see how well she fights." Rot muttered to those on either side of him. "See if she's all practice and no experience."

Port replied to Weiss's cry, and incidentally Rot's comment, by gesturing to a cage, "Well, then, let's find out. Step forward, and face your opponent!"

It took minimal time for Weiss to get changed and prepare to face her opponent. Rot was still bemused by the concept of a combat skirt, yet here was the heiress of a massive corporation in one. He supposed that it must be relatively useful then. Cries of "Go, Weiss!" and "Fight well!" came from what Rot assumed were her teammates. The third one then called out, "Yeah, represent team RWBY!"

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" the white haired girl snapped in exasperation.

The offender sheepishly offered her reply, "Oh, um... Sorry..."

Rot raised a brow at that exchange, "Well then. I get the feeling there's some slight tension there."

Port unveiled the Boarbatusk which began fighting Weiss. Mars had a hand against his chin as he judged the heiress. "She seems to rely largely on focus and style over instinct. The distraction of the team dynamic is distracting her from that focus."

"What dynamic is that exactly?" Arian turned towards Mars with a curious look.

"If you recall from last night, Weiss Schnee is part of team RWBY. Led by a Ruby Rose. Weiss has a family legacy to uphold and defend, so therefore she most likely believes she should have been the leader due to her qualifications. Thus the conflict in the dynamic of the team and her lack of focus." Mars commented as they watched the duel unfold. Things seemed to be going rather poorly for Weiss.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, "Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"

The Schnee Dust Company Heiress glared at Ruby, "Stop telling me what to do!"

Rot crossed his arms and nodded, "Well Mars. Gotta agree with your diagnosis, but now I have a question. Did you memorize all the teams?"

Mars looked over at him with the same serious expression and nodded, "All the ones I saw."

"That's a tad creepy." Rot replied with a smirk before watching the end of the duel. As it unfolded, he found himself reflecting on the current setting he was in. Mars still perturbed him. The man was able to get a read on people far faster than seemed normal by any strength of the imagination. From a few lines of discussion he had diagnosed an apparent issue of leadership amongst a team that, as far as Rot knew, Mars had never interacted with. He seemed too on top of things. Rot chewed the inside of his lip as he mulled this over, trying to put pieces together. He was missing something in this man's life, something that he hoped Bruno could pull together. The concept of actually talking to Mars and attempting to discern the background to Mars's apparent skill at reading people briefly crossed Rot's mind, but he dismissed it relatively quickly. It wasn't that he didn't like talking to people. It was far more of the fact that he didn't trust them and would rather keep his paranoia on the down low. Professor Port was giving his dismissal after having congratulated Weiss on her victory. The words were distant mutterings to Rot as his mind was elsewhere. Grau standing up and preparing to leave brought his attention back to reality.

Mars and Arian were a distance ahead with their team. Ebony and Nila were waiting by the door for their teammates. Nila was in the midst of making a comment to Ebony, "She stormed out of the room way to fast to have been satisfied with those results. There's an issue there, that's all I'm saying."

"But it's not our concern." Ebony reinforced with a slight gesture. "She's part of a different team as well as an heir of wealthy family. I'm sure she can take care of herself and doesn't need people she's never met before intervening in her life."

Nila gave a slight noise of exasperation, while casting a glance in a different direction containing an emotion Rot couldn't catch. "Yes, I can understand that. I just like helping resolve these kinds of issues."

"Well regrettably not all of them can be resolved." Ebony's brown eyes stared at the blue fire of Nila's. Her next comment carried a little too much steel for her apparent disinterest. "So trust me, we shouldn't get involved."

"Does someone else not like the residential heiress?" Rot quipped. Even as he made the joke, he could tell Nila had a reply to her partner that seemed to hold some fire behind it, "She seems to be quite the unpopular, or popular depending on your view, person after that event."

Ebony turned a scowl towards Rot that made him grin all the more, "Let's just say that my family traditionally isn't the Schnee's biggest fans."

Grau continued to silently pace past the rest of his team, heading towards the next class. Nila followed a short distance behind while Rot continued with his comments, "So is it because they're wealthier than yours?"

"My father doesn't work for wealth." Ebony retorted with some ferocity. Rot could definitely tell he'd struck a nerve here. "He works to help those who need it. To help heal the sick, dying, and suffering. While he might not use the most ethical means to do so, he does. Which is more than the Schnee Dust Company could say."

"Can we try to avoid these kinds of arguments on the first day?" Nila asked carefully, her grin fading slightly. "I'd rather not see us torn apart by what our parents did or anyone else has done before we even get to rearranging the room."

Grau made a sudden noise and turned his head to look at the rest of his team. "Do we still need to do that?"

Nila nodded, "Yup. We have a lot of stuff left to unpack that might be a little difficult to unpack in our room's current configuration."

"That'll end well." Rot muttered under his breath. Grau's expression seemed to agree with him.

"It'll be more efficient," Ebony countered in a very neutral, controlled tone, "Unless you want us all to have only suitcases to store our supplies in for the rest of the year."

Rot unleashed a sigh to admit defeat. The rest of the day seemed to fall into a near rhythmic blur. They'd arrive at a class, be told what said class was going to be about, occasionally actually participate in an activity or action relating to said theme of the class, and then they'd leave and carry onto the next portion of the class. There were the classes where Rot was engaged in such as combat training classes, and those he was less engaged in. Either way, by the time they'd returned to their dorm room, Rot wanted little more than to sit and recall why he had forsaken his enjoyment of journeying across the world to deal with classical education –if one could call Beacon's style of education classical. He walked over to his bed and sat with his back against a wall before closing his eyes briefly. Grau strode to a position just short of Rot and gave a slight chuckle. "Wishing you'd had that sleep now, aren't you?"

Rot opened his eyes in order to turn a disdainful glare at his team leader. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not tired at all."

"Those are commonly the words of one trying not to fall asleep and failing." Nila commented as she sat on her bed. "And given how you look, you're definitely loosing that fight."

Rot gave a halfhearted shrug combined with a grunt and closed his eyes again. "Wake me when its dinner time."

Had Rot's eyes been open, he would have seen Nila preparing to respond with some witty comment. He would have also seen Grau cut her off with a hand on the shoulder. Before the girl with blue highlights could ask why he'd done so, Rot had fallen into peaceful sleep. Grau whispered to Nila, "We'll do as he asks. He needs the sleep. I get the feeling it's going to be a long year."

* * *

Grau walked slowly down the halls. The first day had been rather chaotic, although straight forward. Go to class, learn about what you'd be learning, so on and so forth. The part that concerned him was the dynamics that were currently running rampant amongst his team. There was obvious tension between some of them, predominantly Rot and Ebony and it was still only the first day. Technically they had teamed up yesterday and taken down a dangerous Grimm then. But, as his father had once told him, getting people to fight a common enemy was easy. They could ignore differences long enough to handle the threat. It was after the common foe was gone and those who had once been working alongside one another had to deal with the personalities of the others that issues began emerging. Rot obviously had something that had happened in his past that had scarred him, physically and mentally. But Grau had never been a fan of invading other people's personal lives, unless they came to him first.

There was a subtle pit of concern that made him think that philosophy wasn't going to last too long. If issues kept creeping up amongst his team, he'd have to get to the root of them. And more often than not that involved delving into people's paths. Grau grimaced slightly at the thought of it. He'd seen how aggressive Rot had been in terms of those scars. Empathy had been a trait he'd always been close to, but he was concerned that Rot might want neither understanding nor sympathy. The poisonous worry that he was in over his head crept back into his mind. He hadn't been expecting to end up leader of a team. The expectations had been to show up, slay Grimm, work with a team, and learn how to be a huntsman. Though he was also letting anxiety get the better of him currently. Yes there were some aspects of the team that he could see developing into problems. It would definitely require him keeping an eye on people, something he wasn't entirely fond of. But he could do it. Of that he had no doubt. His walk finally led him to one of the courtyards. Finding a nearby bench, Grau took a seat and reached into his bag for what he desired. It was after dinner and the only light were those from light posts. But the dark didn't concern him.

Grau pulled out a sketch book and placed it on his lap. He closed his eyes and listened. He snapped his fingers and allowed his semblance to track the vibrations. The vibrations flowed through the air and collided against other objects. A tree, some pillars, light posts, and a few people. Ignoring the people, he began drawing the outlines of the objects based on the vibrations that came back. It was a habit he'd spent a long time working on and was good practice for honing his semblance. At first he would only receive blurred sensations based on the vibrations around him. He could tell when things were moving, but not where they were or any detailed aspects of them. Over time he'd began to refine his semblance with a hybrid process. His preferred method was to sit and sense vibrations, draw what he thought was moving and then open his eyes to check and see how accurate he was. Over time he got better and better at it until he achieved a point where he could initiate his own vibrations and sketch his surroundings based on them. It was not a fast process, as he had to adjust for creatures, or humans in today's case, and the vibrations they caused. Pausing long enough to snap his fingers again and send out another vibration, he continued sketching. His focus was the area in front of him and the tree. The relatively small amount of nature that was readily accessible to him. This process continued for an amount of time that was not important. When he finally opened his eyes again he had finished his sketch. Smiling slightly at the relatively simple sketch, he felt a vibration behind him and a burst of cold.

"That's very impressive." The calm cool voice of Raaka Isolde came from behind him. Grau turned towards her slowly.

"You were standing there for a while." He responded calmly. "Why?"

Raaka gave a very slight shrug, "I find semblances fascinating. Especially when people use them in methods that are not purely for combat. You capture an impressive amount of detail in that drawing of yours."

"I always liked to do this when I was younger. Helps me put my mind at ease." Grau replied.

"I can relate." Raaka said. With a gesture, the pale-blonde huntress in training began to generate a crystal. Through a combination of her ice dust and her semblance, she began to create a frozen crystal sculpture. Her design was not overly large, nor was it too small. It sat on the cusp of perfection. Intricate little details could be seen and felt by Grau. When she finally finished it, in her hands rested an ice replica of Beacon. "It's something I used to do when I was younger. I haven't done it as much recently."

"It's beautiful." Grau snapped his fingers and let the vibrations tell him all the details of the sculpture. "That's a gift."

Raaka ran a hand through her pale-blonde hair. "It's just a hobby I used to do in the past. It reminds me of back then. But that was a long time ago."

"Obviously not long enough to forget how to do it." Grau countered, still slightly in awe by the ice sculpture.

The huntress shrugged and then dissipated the sculpture. "I suppose. Though perhaps I should leave it there. No place for beauty in a world like this."

"We're going to have to disagree there." Grau quickly responded. "Beauty is what differentiates us from the monsters we fight against. Just because something's from the past, doesn't mean it has to stay there."

"Interesting idea." Raaka's words were slow and measured. Grau could sense the thought behind them. "The past does always define us. Nothing truly stays there even when we try to leave it behind. I apologize for my abrasive actions towards you yesterday."

As Raaka left, and the temperature rose slightly, Grau found himself reflecting on what had just been said. He grimaced slightly as he realized that one way or the other he was going to have to face the pasts of all those in his team. One way or the other their past was going to come back to haunt them and they'd have to overcome whatever demons they had tried to lock behind them. And that didn't go just for Rot.

* * *

Bruno walked through the halls of his ship with a partially downed bottle of alcohol clutched in his left hand. Not nearly enough to keep him from focusing, but enough for him to enjoy it. His tan skinned hand grasped a wheel that rested on the wall and rotated it slowly in order to open one of his more out of the way rooms. A quick glance over his shoulder ensured no one was behind him, after which he entered the hidden room. Closing the door and latching it behind him, Bruno turned to the rest of the room. Several piles of paper lay scattered across the table. He'd learned long ago not to trust electronics to store his highly sensitive information. They could be hacked. Although physical information could be burned, it was less likely to suffer such a fate than to have his information hacked. The less sensitive information he'd store on his computer, but he much preferred to look at papers. Four stacks were his primary focus for the night. He'd gotten what he could from a quick dig in regards to those that Rot had asked for. He was nowhere near done, but it had been enough to keep him busy for most of the day. He began skimming through the pile in search of what information he'd collected from accessing simple networks.

Not much could be found on Grau Schatten. His town was isolated and as such less information was electronic. That meant he'd have to do some digging. It wasn't that he disliked such actions; it was that he'd rather do a search and be done with it quickly. Grau had attended Signal Academy for four years, performing remarkably well. Although not well enough to eclipse some of his more stellar classmates, instructors commented on his ability to remove obstacles with unorthodox and different methods than was usual for huntsmen. He also suffered some disorder, but Bruno figured Rot already knew of that. It was a tad obvious. Passing the the papers to the side, he skimmed through the next set.

Ebony Veil was the daughter of Itzal Veil. The man was said to be a miracle worker, able to heal many from diseases that others couldn't. But there was also a lot of controversy surrounding that name. He had unorthodox research methods and isolated himself from the kingdoms to escape their judgment. These actions were overlooked as the Doctor, so to speak, would occasionally help the kingdoms with healing. Not much was mentioned on the first few pages. Again, Ebony would require more digging. But it was information that Bruno was also interested in. His eyes flashed over the emblem of the Veil family for a moment. He always considered the serpent around a rod to be a creepy enough stylized design without the wheel surrounding it. Something just felt off about the emblem. The Veil's personal history was well hidden from public eye. Even Ebony's transcripts and related were locked down by Beacon.

Bruno turned his eye to Nila Feur's stack of information. She had been easy to gain insight into. The vast majority of it had been on public record. Out of the list of people Rot had given him, she was by far the most normal. Well aside from the fact that her semblance was lighting whatever was in her hands on fire. But then again most semblances weren't exactly normal per se anyways. He'd compile the information and pass it onto Rot when he was ready.

Then there was the paradox of Mars Auburn. Apparently the kid was from a town that had been destroyed. Normally these cases were well-documented, however that was all the information Bruno had easily found in regards to him. There were a few pictures connecting Mars to some refugees from that town. He seemed pretty scarred from the journey, but still stood with a strength that impressed Bruno. Either the kid was really that strong and confident, or he was a good actor. He began to push the piles of paper away when one picture caught his eye. It was of Mars's back without a shirt. On it was a tattoo. Bruno could make out a wheel like design, but little else. Feeling a sense of familiarity, he began to closer inspect the emblem. An abrupt noise caught his attention. Bruno cursed silently as he grasped his bottle and began opening the door. Lilith was back and she couldn't be allowed to know about this room no matter how nicely, or impolitely, she asked.

He made it back to the common area before Lilith had fully arrived onboard the ship, it was always a blessing that he'd set up a slight alarm to the boarding ramp. He took a seat and propped his feet up on a nearby table. When the young woman walked in wearing normal clothes, Bruno had the appearance of someone who'd been wasting his time away drinking. "Why am I not surprised to find you like this?"

Bruno gave a half-hearted shrugged, "Hey. It was a long day. I needed a destressor."

"A long day?" She scoffed, "I find that a tad hard to believe."

"Well some of us still have lives to run, even if another person comes in and tries to rearrange everything around their precious little schedule." Bruno muttered under his breath. "So forgive me for being an average citizen."

Lilith gave a prolonged sigh. "What have you got for me?"

"Well for starters Rot survived the initiation. Not that that comes as a surprise to either of us. If you can best pirates you can best Grimm." Bruno began, as he prepared to organize the order of his delivery, then he saw Lilith's arm. Or more particularly what was on it. A tattoo of a wheel, with one spook being the handle of a large Scythe and another being the stem of a rose.

"What is it?" Lilith gave him a curious expression.

"Sorry, forgot what I was about to say." Bruno caught himself, swearing he had seen that tattoo before. "Rot's on a team with three others. Grau Schatten, Ebony Veil, and Nila Feur. As for the others you want me keeping an eye on, you'll have to give me a little more time. Some of them aren't as in contact with me as Rot is."

Lilith nodded and spoke more to herself than to Bruno, "Okay. That's good. Very interesting that he ended up with Ebony, I'll need to make a note of that."

"Why's that?" Bruno questioned slowly. If he could get something else on Ebony from Lilith, well it'd make his job a tad easier. It also made him uneasy that they both apparently, once again, had similar interest in the same person.

"Don't worry about it." Lilith retorted, "It's not an issue for you, rather an interest for me. Keep tabs on that team. Aside from that, continue focusing on those others that I want information on and we'll keep going from here."

Bruno rolled his brown eyes. "A thank you would be nice. Or at least some form of payment for taking time out of my busy life to stalk your ex."

"That's not the reason behind this." Lilith countered with some harshness reinforcing her voice. "Besides, you will be rewarded in due time. I promise you that."

"Alright, I'll keep digging, but just don't get in my way." As Lilith walked away and rolled her eyes, Bruno sat back down. Odds were that he was in over his head. But then again, that was how he liked it. The more chaos, the more fun. But he had the feeling he'd have to watch his back if he wanted to get out of this without getting himself into serious trouble. That tattoo on Lilith's arm. He could've sworn he'd seen it before, but he couldn't remember where for the life of him. But one thing it did do was fill him with a feeling of concern and worry, the kind of sense that made him think that the "trouble" he'd be in with Junior would seem minute in comparison. At the same time, he couldn't let it interfere with his profession. After all, he was a professional. So he'd keep going until this whole storm blew over, one way or the other. He sighed and uncorked a bottle, "Cause there ain't no rest for the wicked."

**A/N Feel free to review if you desire.**


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